3:51pm Saturday 25th October 2008
By Kerry Grove
Pay-as-you-go cars in Worcester Park are proving popular since launching in May this year.
The Streetcar scheme offers cars 24 hours a day, with a card system to unlock them and drive them away.
For an hourly charge of £5.95 drivers get 30 miles worth of petrol and every extra mile is charged at 23p. There is no tax, MOT or insurance to pay and members do not have pay interest on car loans or worry about depreciation.
Worcester Park have three cars in, one on Caldbeck Avenue and two in The Hamptons, with an average of seven hours usage a day.
“I think it’s the best invention ever,” said user Tania Eiberg. “They are constantly in use in The Hamptons and I advise all my friends to consider Streetcar before they think of buying a new one.
“There’s just no reason to have a car now. Public transport is great and this scheme is so affordable.
“If everyone used it there would be so much less congestion and traffic is a really serious issue through Worcester Park.”
The company says every Streetcar takes six privately owned cars off the road because members often sell, or don’t replace, cars when they join.
According to research by the company, members reduce their driving by 68 per cent.
Based on these figures, Streetcar will reduce carbon dioxide emission by about 2,000,000kg over the next two years.
Smarter Travel Sutton is a £5m, three-year partnership project between Sutton Council and Transport for London which aims to reduce car trips and promote greener travel.
They are advising people to sign up this autumn.
“Car clubs help to cut the number of cars on the road, ease pressure on parking, and reduce congestion and pollution in the capital,” said Ben Plowden, programme director of Smarter Travel at Transport for London.
Aside from green benefits, the economic savings are potentially huge, up to £2000 a year for occasional road users in Worcester Park.
Kingston Council said the scheme could ease the pressure of the credit crunch by reducing outgoings.
For information on joining Streetcar, or to find one in your area, visit streetcar.co.uk.
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