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As any British car owner will testify, hitting the road means digging deep.
The cost of insurance, maintenance, fuel, road tax and parking - just some of the expenses involved - can amount to thousands of pounds a year.
And with over 20 million cars on
the road, there is a big environmental price to pay for Britain's obsession with private transport.
To reduce the expense and hassle, more and more British motorists are choosing to join car-share clubs. For a small annual fee or one-off membership charge, they can book a vehicle for as little as 30 minutes or a number of days or weeks, and be charged only for how long they use it and how far they drive.
There are now some 20 of these clubs operating in towns and cities around Britain, with nearly 30,000 members.
They are easy to use. People who need a car for an hour, for example, log on to a website or phone the host company to book one. It is then usually just a short stroll to a parking bay to pick up the vehicle.
To open the car, a smart card is swiped across a windscreen reader. You take the keys from the glove compartment, input a pin number and away you go.
The hourly rate is usually around £5 ($13.50) and often a free daily fuel allowance of 30 or so miles is included. After that, you pay about 20p (54 cents) per mile driven.
Members are sent a monthly bill that is debited from their account while insurance (excluding the excess payment), cleaning, servicing and car tax are all paid by the club.
Considering it costs an average of around £5500 ($14,000) per year for motorists to own and run their cars, members can save hefty sums - as well as helping to reduce pollution.
"On average, people cut their mileage by 60 per cent," says Philip Igoe, co-director of charity Carplus, set up to promote car clubs. "They appreciate the effect on their pocket and the environmental benefits."
With more than 20,000 members and 600 cars, Streetcar, established in 2004 and operating in London and southeast England, is the biggest company of its kind. Another big provider is City Car Club, offers hatchbacks and hybrid cars.
"The concept is still embryonic in the UK, but it's becoming more mainstream." says City Car Club's chief executive, James Finlayson.
Tim Pope, 52, a lawyer from Leeds, has been a member of the WhizzGo car club, which has 3500 members in 11 British cities, for three years.
He lives in the busy city centre and does not own a car because of the cost and the difficulty of parking. After seeing a row of WhizzGo's cars on the street, he decided to become a member.
"I'm close to the station and airport so make use of public transport a lot of the time," says Pope. "But to go and see friends at weekends and for supermarket shopping on the edge of town, the service is really useful."
He hires cars regularly, paying around £150 ($405) a month. "They're cheaper than taxis. Running a car would cost more."
- Independent
