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Car club pilot scheme for Chester

The City of Chester is to be a pilot base for a new scheme in which eight vehicles can be hired from between half an hour to a week, any time of the day, from three locations.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is backing the scheme in partnership with City Car Club. Similar projects are in place in 15 other cities including Manchester and Liverpool.

For an initial membership fee of £60 per year, members will be charged a fee of between £4.95 and £8.95 per hour with discounts for longer bookings.Full details are available on the City Car Club website https://secure.citycarclub.co.uk/join/

The Club takes care of insurance, tax, servicing, fuel and cleaning. Any driver who has held a full licence for more than a year is eligible to join.

Low-emission Toyota Aygos are based in three locations - one in Station Road, six at the Castle and one at Wrexham Road Park and Ride site. All cars are accessed via a smart-card, read by an on-board device.

Councillor Herbert Manley, Executive Member for Growth and Innovation said: “This innovative scheme is good for everyone and is particularly good for businesses. Once you have joined it is easy to book a car for a journey and trips can be planned up to a year in advance.

“The pilot has been very successful in many different cities and I am sure that there will be many residents and businesses interested in this project.”

Councillor Lynn Riley, Executive Member for Localities said: “This really is the green alternative for people who need a vehicle for a short journey for either personal or business use. You are sent a bill at the end of every month and the in-car computer calculates exactly how many miles have been driven.

“We hope that this scheme will service a growing need in the city for people who have a driving licence but do not have access to a car.”

If successful, the club could be extended to other parts of the borough.

Cheshire West and Chester Council will be looking closely at whether the scheme helps with its business travel through complementing public transport and offering a modern and flexible alternative to pool vehicles.

City Car Club’s Managing Director, James Finlayson, said: “We are delighted to start to operate the new car club in Chester. We look forward to providing people and businesses in Chester with a low emission hourly car rental service.

“People in Chester will join our 30,000 members elsewhere able to access City Car Club’s 700 plus vehicles across the UK in 15 cities.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .