DriveNow, the car sharing service from BMW and SIXT, has announced that it now has 20,000 members across London, in the latest sign that car clubs are gaining ground among urban drivers.
The service, which lets users rent cars by the minute to pick up and drop off at designated parking spots across the city, launched in London in December 2014. DriveNow said although it has enjoyed steady growth since its launch, a recent spike in user numbers suggests car sharing has hit proof of concept in the capital.
DriveNow’s 20,000 users represent 12 per cent of London’s car club market, with its rivals including Zipcar, Ford’s go!drive and Enterprise Car Club.
Earlier this year a survey by environmental transport non-profit Carplus found that car clubs have led to 25,000 fewer cars on London’s roads, as a result of members selling their private vehicles.
There are now 186,000 car club members using 2,800 cars in London, and a further 220,000 members using over 3,800 vehicles across the UK, according to the survey. -BusinessGreen