LEEDS, England, April 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Carplus released new findings today showing the massive positive impact of joining a car club.  

The Carplus Annual Survey showed that there are 186,000 car club members in London, using 2,800 cars - which they can book online and hire by the hour, 24/7.

On joining a car club, members reduce their annual mileage by an average of 750 miles. The total reduced mileage for London car club members alone is over 100 million miles.

Each car club car replaces over 10 privately owned vehicles, freeing up space on congested streets.

That means that there are 25,000 fewer cars on London's roads as a result of car club members selling private vehicles. Together they would cover 50 football pitches. 

Car club use is growing outside London as well. There are over 220,000 car club members with over 3,800 vehicles across the UK. These car club vehicles are cleaner and greener than the average car in the national fleet - emitting 30% less CO_2.

Members appreciate the convenience of car club cars as well as the environmental benefits.

Member Andrew Phillips said:

"The car club omits the liabilities and bureaucracy of owning a car in London - parking, congestion charges, maintenance, even fuel costs."

Across the UK, car clubs reduce CO₂ emissions by 50,000 tonnes. 

The Survey also shows that car club members are generally early adopters, almost all have smartphones and over 50% of them access transport apps on a daily basis. The increase in car club use alongside public transport, taxis and cycling is becoming more pronounced as services grow and diversify.

Phillips added:

"I have to say that the ease of booking a car on your iPhone and then jumping in after swiping your membership card is absolutely genius."

About Carplus and Bikeplus 

Carplus and Bikeplus promote accessible shared transport including car clubs, shared bikes and 2+ car sharing.

We work to change the way people travel to reduce the environmental impact of transport and improve access to transport for all. We support and encourage measures that promote car clubs, car sharing, bike sharing and other shared mobility schemes which complement public transport, cycling and walking to provide affordable and flexible travel.

SOURCE Carplus