The information provided on this page has been collated to support borough officers and Councillors to access information on Car Clubs. , For further support or information please contact:
Oluwafemi Biyibi
Principal policy and project officer
Oluwafemi.biyibi@londoncouncils.gov.uk
Useful resources
- CoMoUK has a growing suite of car club guidance and case studies for local authorities.
- London Councils jointly developed a Car Club Strategy for London in 2015 with car club operators, the GLA, TfL and other key stakeholders. The Strategy sets out a 10-point action plan, covering:
- Delivery of a monitoring framework to build the evidence on the impacts of car clubs.
- Working with key stakeholders to support car clubs.
- Transforming London’s public sector fleets.
- Building capacity and creating a framework for supportive policy development.
- Helping Londoners make the switch from private cars.
- Making parking management smarter and easier.
- Driving the uptake of Low Emission Vehicles.
- Transforming the profile of car clubs in London.
- Deriving the uptake of car clubs in London’s commercial fleets.
- Car club integration.
- The BVRLA Cars in the City report published in 2019 addresses the implications of new technology on society and the role of transportation in cities, making recommendations for local and national policymakers on the role of flexible parking solutions. Recommendations include:
- A need for the government to create a new mission under the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge of making the UK a leader in car sharing and intelligent car usership.
- A requirement for local authorities to promote flexible car options to households well ahead of the introduction of Clean Air Zones.
- A need for local authorities to increase rates of electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation, coordinated with shared electric vehicle providers’ plans to rollout more electric vehicles.
- Finding from the Shared Mobility Opportunities and Challenges for European Cities report on Mobility behaviour in different car sharing variants (2019) illustrates how different types of car clubs suit different locations and behaviours. The report found that:
- For every shared car, 20 private cars were substituted.
- The Roundtrip car club model and combined variants - such as roundtrip and free-floating car clubs - produced more car free households.
- Free-floating car club services are used primarily for short inner-city trips, while Roundtrip car club services are used for planned, longer duration journeys - making them an ideal replacement for private cars.
- London Councils, RAC Foundation and Imperial College published a data standard for car clubs operating in London. - Better data for smarter decision-making: The proposed Car Club-Local Authority Data Standard (2020). We are working on identifying a central platform for this data to be collated.
- CoMoUK publish an annual survey of car clubs in London, Their report for 2020 showed, among other things, that:
- Car clubs reduce private car ownership - 23.5 private cars are taken off the road by each car club vehicle in London
- 100 per cent of car club vehicles operating in London are Low Emission Zone and Clean Air Zone compliant
- Car club vehicles produce 25.5 per cent less emissions compared to the average UK car
- Electric vehicles are increasingly being incorporated into car club fleets, with the proportion growing from 6.6 per cent, to 11 per cent between 2017/18 and 2019/20. By comparison, less than one per cent of privately-owned cars in London are electric vehicles.
- Transport and Environment’s 2021 report Barriers and opportunities for shared battery electric vehicles, highlights the barriers and opportunities for electric vehicles, and includes recommendations for local authorities on increasing electric vehicle car club uptake. These recommendations include:
- A need for the Government to provide net zero/shared mobility funding and a framework for local authorities that provides local authorities with clear direction, and additional powers to deliver net zero emissions by 2050.
- A need for local authorities to assess the role of car clubs within the context of their local area characteristics, with a view to incorporate car clubs into local transport and air quality strategies.
- A need for car club operators to actively assist local authorities, beyond just the contractual phases, in their understanding of car club market conditions, and requirements for operation. This includes providing information on parking and charging needs, providing information on schemes and support offers, and providing flexibility in their services in accordance with the needs of local authorities.
Car club procurement
Approaches to procuring a car club operator vary greatly between London boroughs. We are working with borough officers to identify how we can support a consistent approach to procurement and operation.
To support local authorities, CoMoUK published their Car Club Procurement Guidance document (2019). The document offers advice on the following:
- Types of agreements local authorities could enter with car clubs.
- The types of car club models available
- The value of accreditation
- Policies to support car clubs
- Procurement routes
- Managing and evaluating a car club scheme
- Re-tendering and closing a car club scheme
Car club accreditation
Accreditation of car club services provide boroughs with confidence that the service being procured meets a quality standard. We recommend that all boroughs considering including accreditation as a requirement for responses to procurement tenders. The accrediting body for car clubs in the UK is CoMoUK who have clearly set out a set of standards for car club operators in their Car Club Accreditation Criteria . CoMoUK’s scheme includes three forms of accreditation and requires operators to provide evidence that they meet a set of criteria including:
- Business requirements
- Service provision
- Safety requirements
- Data collection
Funding
There is no central government funding to support car clubs at this time. However, government grants for plug in vehicles will often help the purchase of electric vehicles for car clubs.
Industry bodies
- CoMoUK – CoMoUK is a charity focused on supporting and advocating for shared transport modes, like car clubs. Their work includes conducting research and providing data to support car clubs, providing best practice guidance, supporting car club development projects and providing technical advice and consultancy to local authorities and transport planners. They also provide an accreditation scheme for car clubs across the UK.
- BVRLA – The BVRLA, or British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association is a membership body for companies engaged in vehicle rental, leasing, and fleet management. They represent over 970 companies that are responsible for over four million cars, vans, and trucks. Their membership also includes car clubs. As a membership organisation, they advocate on behalf of their members, provide their members with guidance and best practice, and serve as a leading industry voice.