Driving through a car revolution

9:25am Thursday 14th September 2006

CARS might not be environmentally friendly, but you can't beat them for convenience - especially when they're parked in your drive.

Unless you're getting a hire car, that is. All that form-filling and showing your licence every time you want some wheels can make rushing for the bus an easy option.

"There is none of the hassle associated with owning a car ringing around about insurance every year, for example and no problems with parking, which is a particular issue in York."

Charlotte Morton

But that was before York's pay-as-you-go motoring arrived.

"You can literally book the car and be driving around within 30 seconds," promises Liz Gray, marketing manager of WhizzGo, the company which runs the scheme.

"It really is as easy as that."

But putting it to the test was not as simple. For starters, I'm not eligible to drive a WhizzGo car. As a journalist I'm too "risky" to insure.

(A note to fellow hacks, actors and sports personalities, you won't be getting behind the wheel of a WhizzGo car anytime soon either).

But after enlisting the help of York motorist Lucy Howard, 21, we were ready to hit the road.

Before you can book a car, you need to join WhizzGo.

This involves filling in your personal details over the internet, or answering some questions over the phone. You also need to declare any motoring convictions or accidents and either send your licence in to WhizzGo or agree to a DVLA check.

This is typically done within a few hours of applying, says Liz.

"That's one of the good things about WhizzGo, you don't need to show your licence every time," she adds.

You will be asked for your credit card details and to pay a £25 life membership fee and a one-off refundable insurance deposit of £125.

A few days after that, you should receive your smart card and four-digit pin.

Then, you can book a car whenever you want.

"When you decide you want a car you can either book it on the internet or ring up," explains Liz.

"You can see which cars are available in which car parks and then a text message will be sent to your phone giving you details of your booking.

"A text message will also be sent to the car's computer system to let it know of your booking. It's all done by SMS technology and is done very quickly."

When you've chosen your car, take yourself, card and pin number to the vehicle, which will be in a York car park.

You need to hold your card over the card reader in the windscreen, which recognises your booking and unlocks the doors. When you get in, take out the on-board computer from the glove compartment and enter your pin number.

The keys, which slot into the top of the hand-held computer, will be released and you're ready to go.

Sounds simple enough and in theory, it was just as easy.

"We have Citroen C3s and Citroen Picassos in York," says Liz.

"They are nice, easy-to-use spacious cars and people tell us they are easy to handle.

"They were specifically chosen because of their low fuel emissions."

Lucy, the one in the driving seat, said it was a different experience to driving her Rover 100. "It was very responsive, and very different to my car," she said.

"I think if you had it for an hour or so you'd get used to it.

"The whole process seemed fairly simple, but you would need to know exactly where the car would be parked - you wouldn't want to trawl through a whole multi-storey car park."

Afterwards, you slot the key back in the computer, record your mileage and walk away. You get 60 miles free fuel a day with your car and there is a refuelling card in the glove compartment.

The bill gets sent to WhizzGo and if you go over your allowance then you will be charged in a monthly statement.

You can take the car anywhere you like, but if you go abroad you need to notify the company.

Additional mileage is charged at 20p per mile, so it shouldn't break the bank.

Liz says that overall, the prices are value for money.

"It will never cost more than £4.95 an hour and we have capped weekend rates and it gets cheaper the more often you use it."

And what about security? What if a non-member fancied a cruise in a vehicle? Could they just smash the window and grab the keys?

"Obviously they could smash a window, but they wouldn't be able to access the keys without a pin number," says Liz.

There is also a hands-free phone in the car so you can phone us or the AA if you have any problems."

• Most drivers are allowed to join the car club but there are some exceptions. Journalists, actors, sports personalities and members of the armed forces will have to find their wheels elsewhere.

Facing facts

• There are 78,000 cars in York, according to the 2001 census
• More than 15,000 households in York have two cars
• In York, there are 624 households with four or more cars
• Congestion was identified as a concern by 34 per cent of York residents in a recent transport survey
• The city council has a target to reduce car journeys by 3.5 per cent by 2011

Launch sparks political row

THE launch of the new WhizzGo car club was embroiled in a row over political censorship today.

Green councillor Andy D'Agorne said he had complained to City of York Council chief executive David Atkinson after it appeared the council's Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway tried to prevent him appearing in photographs connected with the launch.

The Press invited Coun D'Agorne, a keen car club supporter, to appear in a photo - only to be told by WhizzGo that they could not agree.

Coun Galloway insisted today there had been a mix-up. He had asked only that during the car club launch, media questions should be directed to Ann Reid, the city's executive member for transport, he said - not that councillors from other parties could not be photographed.

"I don't exercise any censorship over people like Andy D'Agorne being photographed, and I'm not in a position to stop him driving a car club car," he said.

Coun D'Agorne said he had contacted Mr Atkinson about the matter. He was keen to promote the car club simply because it was good for York, he said. "It should not be political."

A WhizzGo spokesperson said: "We follow council guidelines regarding spokespersons and what happened was a simple misunderstanding of this."

How the prices compare

• Hiring a car with WhizzGo: Never more than £4.95 an hour but with special packages can average out at about £1.45 an hour (including some fuel)
• Hiring a car with York's branch of Hertz for 24 hours: £23.91 on a weekend, £33.45 midweek
• Taking an Ace taxi from Walmgate to Monk's Cross to go shopping: £5.50
• To hire an Ace taxi for an hour to go shopping in different locations in York: £25

Benefits of membership

A car club may sound like a good idea in theory. But what would be the benefits to you?

There are plenty, says WhizzGo managing director Charlotte Morton - convenience and cost among them.

"You know there will always be a car that's waiting for you in a parking bay when you need one," she said.

"You don't need to buy it, clean it or service it.

"There is none of the hassle associated with owning a car - the ringing around about insurance every year, for example - and no problems with parking, which is a particular issue in York.

"The car is just there at the end of a phone when you need it.

"You pay for it when you need to use it, and you don't pay for it when you don't. Compare that with the cost of running your own car, and you save a lot of money."

Being a member of the club probably wouldn't interest someone who needed to use their car every day, say for commuting, Charlotte admitted.

"But people who walk to work or go by public transport - their car is sitting at home doing nothing most of the time."

WhizzGo started in Leeds two years ago, and has now expanded into seven cities, including York.

Members use the cars for everything you use your own car for, Charlotte said - visiting friends, going to the supermarket or to Ikea, even for work.

But if you just need it to go to the supermarket for a couple of hours, why not take a taxi instead?

"If you don't mind waiting for a taxi to pick you up afterwards, that may be convenient", Charlotte said. "But in some places, taxis are very expensive compared to a WhizzGo car."

It isn't only individual who will benefit from the car club, stresses York transport chief Ann Reid: the city will too. Which is why York council is so keen on the scheme.

If people own a car, they tend to use it for small journeys when it really isn't necessary, Coun Reid says. "If they have to pop out for a pint of milk, for example, they will go in the car, when they could easily walk.

"It has been shown that people who are in car clubs use their cars less than people who have cars of their own sitting in their drive."

If more people could be encouraged to sign up to the car club, therefore, there would be fewer cars clogging up York's streets, fewer cars sitting idle occupying all the city's precious parking spaces, and less pollution.

Green councillor Andy D'Agorne has already become a member of the car club, after getting rid of his own car recently.

"It is something I have been looking for for some time in York," he said. "It provides access to a car without the cost associated with owning a car. It means that people who like to use more sustainable forms of transport but occasionally need to use a car can do so, while still making most of their journeys by bus, on foot, or by bike."

With only seven cars in WhizzGo's York pool, it is so far only a small step towards a more sustainable way for York people to get about, Coun Reid admits.

But if the scheme is a success, the number of cars will be expanded. In future, developers who put up new blocks of flats in the city could be asked to allocate parking spaces specifically for WhizzGo cars - and even to make a contribution towards the cost of buying more cars.