Westminster car club scheme expands

Initially two VW Caddy vans will be available, one in the south and one in the north of the city, with further delivery vehicles set to be introduced next year.

Members are charged under a pay as you go style tariff with hourly rates starting at £5.95 for vans.

The new vans are aimed at everyone from those who would normally hire a "man with a van" such as people moving home, to small businesses wanting to make deliveries without the cost of having to own and maintain a commercial vehicle.

A number of other cost saving benefits are also available to members including one hour's free parking, no congestion charge, and a low rate annual membership fee of £25.

This sum is then reimbursed with the equivalent amount of vehicle hire time.

Every vehicle is also located in a dedicated parking bay, saving motorists time and money otherwise spent on finding a space to park and all vehicles in the club are located within easy walking distance of homes, offices and work places.

With a fleet of 20 hybrid vehicles and the country's first all-electric car club vehicle Westminster operates the most environmentally friendly scheme in the UK.

The council aims to have a total of 400 car club vehicles available by 2012 - approximately 30 percent of which will be hybrid vehicles.

Studies show that each car club vehicle removes up to 20 privately owned vehicles, and that members reduce vehicle miles travelled by up to 40 per cent.

The car club is jointly run by Westminster City Council and Zipcar, the world's largest car club operator.