Just like all the Bicycle Schemes, StreetCar and StreetVan are a pay-as-you-go scheme based in London and other cities around the UK. The basic concept is car sharing. On average, for every car shared, this takes six private cars off the road. There are other car sharing schemes and initiatives in place, but StreetCar and StreetVan have become one of the leading company dealing with the issue. Others include Zip Car and general car sharing websites such as Lift Share and Car Share.
The difference with StreetCar compared to general car sharing websites, is that it has cars parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces, typically within a few minutes walk of the next car; instead or having to arrange your own car share. You can use one for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 6 months. They are reserved online or by phone, and can be collected and returned 24/7 using one of the StreetCar smartcards. The fleet is made up of brand new Volkswagen Golfs and Volkswagen Polo BlueMotions. StreetVans are also available to customers for transporting heavier objects. The cost of your usage is based on how long you have the car and how far you drive but unless you’re a heavy car or van user, the annual cost of StreetCar or StreetVan will be dramatically less than owning a car and with lots of the hassle of car ownership removed. By seeing the location list, you can see StreetCar has made their fleet convenient for when you are out and about and to simply book a car and drive off shortly afterwards. StreetCar and StreetVan even pay for your petrol and congestion charge in the London area. The videos below explain more.With over 70,000,000 cars on the road in America, StreetCar and Streetvan is definitely an idea that could be taken to countries like the US to reduce emissions and to encourage people to car share. And what’s more is that it is cheaper. If StreetCar was to develop over there though, I think an even bigger fleet of cars per city and state would be needed, possibly beginning the idea in the states that have the most car usage. Perhaps a different selection of cars to be used instead of the VW’s here would also persuade American’s to use the pay-as-you-go service. Maybe this could be on Obama’s ‘to do list’.
