Zipcar "Flex" deploys car sharing service across eight London Boroughs

Floating car service Zipcar Flex (Zipcar), which is said to save 54% of transport costs compared to ride-hailing companies, has been made available to 3.5m Londoners across several Boroughs. The 29p per mile solution is designed to provide its members an environmentally friendly alternative to private car ownership and will only charge for the exact time of their trip. Members can use the car for a one-way journey and be dropped off in one of the thousands of spaces available within its Zipzone, which covers an area over 235km2. The vehicle is said to create less emissions than taxis by only driving when embarking on its point to point journey. Zipcar is currently available to residents in Wandsworth, Islington, Hackney, Lewisham, Lambeth, Waltham Forest, Southwark and Merton with plans to expand to other Boroughs as the service gains momentum. Jonathan Hampson, general manager for Zipcar UK, said: “Car clubs traditionally operate from dedicated fixed bays, but what Zipcar Flex enables is for more Londoners to make smarter transport decisions and experience how much more convenient and cost-effective car sharing is compared to ownership. Zipcar Flex can unlock the potential of car sharing to significantly improve key issues like air quality and congestion for London.” “Zipcar Flex gives Londoners even greater flexibility to get around their city how they want to. It works hand-in-hand with public transport, cycling and walking to give Londoners the broadest choice to choose the right mode of transport when it comes to their specific journey needs. “It’s about convenience, ease and saving money for members, but looking at the bigger picture, it’s also about taking more cars off London’s roads and helping to address the worsening issues of air quality and congestion, which we know are important to Londoners”, Hampson added.