Hybrid car share club launches in Harrogate

National car share scheme Co-wheels has partnered with Harrogate Borough Council to launch the first all-hybrid car share club.

A fleet of nine hybrid vehicles will now be available for pay-as-you-go hire around Harrogate for as little as £5.50 for one hour, with insurance, cleaning, servicing and refuelling all included in the cost too. 

When booking a car, the Co-wheels app shows on a map where the nearest car is, members are then emailed 15-minutes before the hire with the exact location. 

Members are provided with a smart code to access the car so a key exchange isn’t necessary. 

Car clubs have been shown to reduce car dependence with, on average, each car club car removing between 10 and 15 privately owned cars from the road. 

To protect vehicle users during the COVID-19 pandemic, every vehicle will be professionally cleaned regularly and all touch surfaces will be cleaned with a new disinfectant.

Richard Falconer, managing director of Co-wheels, said: ‘There’s a lot of great work going on to reduce carbon emissions in Harrogate which we are pleased to support with the launch of this new car club. We’re making it more accessible for people to have the option to hire a car when they need it rather than having to own a vehicle — it’s far cheaper and better for the environment this way.’

Cllr Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for sustainability and carbon reduction, also commented: ‘We have ambitious plans to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions across the district. One way to support this is by encouraging people to reduce the number of cars in their household as well as the dependency of owning a car.

‘Partnering with Co-wheels to run a car club scheme across the Harrogate district will give people the confidence to do this and will complement walking, cycling and public transport use.’