Car sharing
If everyone who drives to work were to car share with someone just once a week, the number of commuting car journeys would be reduced by 20 per cent, as well as saving drivers money. This also helps to cut congestion and reduce CO2 emissions.
Online databases help to match drivers who are going the same way with each other. For more information and to register for free visit the London liftshare website.
The benefits of the scheme are considerable, and include:
Reduced travel costs
Meet new people
Reduced congestion
Reduced pollution
Less pressure on the car park
Council employees
We have established a car share scheme specifically for our staff. This has been designed to help towards reducing daily travel costs while also acting to reduce CO2 emissions.
The scheme is available to all - drivers and non-drivers alike, and offers the opportunity to make traveling to and from work easier, cheaper and more sociable.
You must be an employee of the London Borough of Hounslow to register for this car sharing group.
For more information, and to register visit: http://www.liftshare.org/default.asp?sub=437
Car clubs (pay-as-you-go cars)
Streetcar's popular pay-as-you-go car club, the 'green' alternative to buying a car, now has more than 10,000 members using nearly 300 cars across the capital.
Following the success of the scheme in the London Borough of Hounslow, which ran five vehicles out of four car parks - Chiswick Common Road, the Fountain Leisure Centre, Albany Parade car parks in Brentford, and South Street car park in Isleworth - two additional on-street sites have now been introduced.
Two vehicles are available at Netheravon Road, near the junction with Chiswick High Road, and a further two have been placed on Sutton Court Road, close to Chiswick Station.
The scheme works on a short-term, pay-as-you-go basis, and is particularly suitable for people who use cars for short journeys. The cars are available 24/7, and can be rented by the hour, day, week or month.
Member benefits include the use of modern, reliable cars - Streetcar provides users with new Volkswagen Golfs - in convenient locations, without the hassle of servicing or maintenance costs.
Hounslow residents can join Streetcar by simply paying a £150 returnable deposit, which will give them access to any of the cars in the Streetcar fleet in London and elsewhere in the UK. To drive a Streetcar costs just £4.95 an hour, which covers all costs including local fuel. A 24-hour booking costs just £35 for weekdays.
Streetcar is keen to expand its network across the borough so if you would like a Streetcar near your home or place of work, register your details on the Streetcar website.
For more information, membership details and a full list of locations, visit the Streetcar website or call 0845 644 8475.