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Car club
Until recently the only way for many people to have access to a car was to own one. About 20 years ago car clubs started and since then have grown in significance[1] and can now offer a practical way for people to get occasional access to cars for short journeys without the costs of ownership. Once one is registered one can book a car from the internet or a mobile phone. Many of the European car clubs started as 'not-for-profit' cooperatives[2]. The main UK players are commercial companies, however there are smaller cooperative players as well.
This project is more interested in the 'bottom-up' approach to car clubs and the opportunities for small groups starting their own clubs. Doing this has become much easier with the availability of equipment and also more accessible car insurance.
There are a number of examples of these in the UK. Wombat currently have two cars, one in Ipswich and another in Colchester and companies such as Eileo, a french company that provide the in-vehicle computer and the booking system[3], are making it a lot easier to start a club and there are ones appearing around the country.
