In April 2012, Aberdeen City Council and Co-wheels launched the Aberdeen City Car Club. For the first time this gave people in Aberdeen access to on street, “pay as you go” car rental with eleven cars positioned around the city in nine different locations for Car Club members to use. Car Clubs are designed as an alternative to car ownership with members paying to use a car only when they need it and able to book it for as little as thirty minutes at a time. As well as a joining fee, payment is by the hour with a small “cost per mile” fuel charge on top. Compared with the cost of owning a car, with all the associated costs, figures suggest that motorists driving between six and eight thousand miles a year could save up to £3,500 a year by joining a car club. Furthermore, one car club car can replace over twenty private cars, as people choose to hire when they need a car rather than owning one, meaning vehicles are used more efficiently. Car Clubs had already worked successfully in other cities, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Bristol and London and Aberdeen City Council were keen for the service to be offered to City Residents. This paper outlines why the Council thought a car club would work in Aberdeen and explains how it was able to create the conditions to set one up. It then examines the success of the venture before looking at future plans for the scheme. (Author/publisher)
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