Streetcar (carsharing)

Infobox Company
company_name = Streetcar
company_
company_type = Corporation
foundation = 2004
location = United Kingdom
key_people = Brett Akker, Andrew Valentine
industry = Automotive
products =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 70 - 100
parent =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.streetcar.co.uk/ www.streetcar.co.uk]
footnotes =

Streetcar is a large carsharing company operating in the United Kingdom. It was started in 2004 by Brett Akker and Andrew Valentine in South London, England [http://www.startups.co.uk/Streetcar.Yd-htnpoyivadQ.html] . It has a fleet of over 600 cars, mainly Volkswagen Golfs (it is currently doing a trial with around 20 highly efficient VW Polo BlueMotion vehicles), as well as VW Transporter Vans.

Cars for hire are parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces in several UK cities including London, Cambridge, Brighton, Southampton, Guildford and Maidstone, and may be booked for as little as 30 minutes or as long as six months. Streetcars are reserved online or by phone, and can be collected and returned at any time using a client's smart card and a personal identification number. Usage charges are based on the length of time the client keeps the car, and mileage during the rental.

Research has shown that car clubs like Streetcar make a valuable environmental contribution, taking some 20 cars off the roads for every one car club car put on the road.Fact|date=August 2007. Despite the apparent reduction in congestion and pollution that Streetcar offers, all Streetcar cars are still liable for the London Congestion Charge. As of 27 October 2008 however, certain Volkswagen BlueMotion Polos and BlueMotion Golfs will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge because of their low CO2 emissions [http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/VOLKSWAGEN/40265.html] ; it is likely some Streetcars will as a result become exempt from the London Congestion Charge.

ee also

*Carsharing
*List of carsharing operators
*Transport in the United Kingdom

References

* [http://www.startups.co.uk/Streetcar.Yd-htnpoyivadQ.html Startups]
* [http://media.mystreetcar.co.uk/StreetcarFifthGear11thApril2006.asx Undercover TV report on Streetcar service] .
* [http://fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain.jsp?lnk=401&section=Consumer&show=s9e1&featureid=279 Channel 5's Fifth Gear TV report] .
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article715646.ece Times Online article "There are no hidden extras"] .
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2705564.ece 'The Independent' Online Article "Network Rail offers passengers a ticket to the Streetcar club"]

External links

* [http://www.streetcar.co.uk "Streetcar" company website] .