Streetcar (carsharing)
Encyclopedia
Streetcar was the largest car sharing company in the United Kingdom, which merged with zipcar
in late 2010. This article discusses Streetcars operations prior to the merger;
Streetcar was the United Kingdom
's largest carsharing
company, with over 75,000 members.http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6889640.ece Vehicles were parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces primarily in London, but also across a total of 10 UK cities including Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Guildford, Maidstone and Southampton. Members could book vehicles from 30 minutes up to six months, online or by phone. A smartcard was used to pick up and return the car at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.
On 21 April 2010, Streetcar and Zipcar
announced a merger of their rival operations. The fleet merged under the Zipcar brand and the in-vehicle technology was combined to provide membership of both companies access to more than 1,000 vehicles around England
, as well as international access to vehicles in Zipcar's existing markets across the United States
, and Canada
. The merger plan resulted in a request from the Office of Fair Trading
for an enquiry by the British Competition Commission
, which is expected to deliver its report in January 2011, as a merger would mean that the combined company would control 80-90% of the UK market.
University friends Brett Akker and Andrew Valentine founded Streetcar in 2004 after seeing its commercial success in the US. They started with 8 cars in locations near Clapham Junction station, and much of the growth since inception has occurred organically through word-of-mouth recommendations.http://media.streetcar.co.uk/ES%201%20October%202004.PDF In March 2007, Streetcar took on £6.4m from Smedvig Capital - an investment which saw Trevor Chinn
come on board as chairman.
The Streetcar fleet consisted of VW Golfs, VW Polos, VW Transporter vans and VW Tourans.http://www.streetcar.co.uk From January 2010, Streetcar also introduced the BMW 1 Series
and BMW 3 Series
to their fleet. The BMW models Streetcar chose, the 116d, 118d and 318d http://www.streetcar.co.uk/cars.aspx are all class leading cars, with carbon emissions of 119g/km and efficiency of 62.8 mpg across the range.http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/pricesandspecifications/0,,1156_1484__bs-MQ%3D%3D%40bb-S08%3D,00.html In June 2009, Streetcar became the first UK car club to provide an electric car to its members, as part of a trial with Camden Council.http://www.fleetworld.net/fleet-cars.php/news/?id=2341
In January 2010, Streetcar also launched their own iPhone application (which is free to download), allowing members across the UK to locate, book and even open a car using their iPhone or iPod touch.http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/streetcar-iphone-app-20-lets-you-unlock-and-drive-away-49304755/
Streetcar had over 1,200 locations across 10 UK cities including; London
, Edinburgh
, Glasgow
, Bristol
, Cambridge
, Oxford
, Brighton
, Southampton
, Guildford
, and Maidstone
.http://www.streetcar.co.uk/about.aspx
and PIN
. Usage charges were based on the length of time the client keeps the car, and mileage during the rental (the first 20 miles per calendar day were free)currently zip car offers 40 free miles per day. In June 2009 Streetcar announced that members would no longer have to pay London's congestion charge. For car bookings over 72 hours the cost of fuel was included (up to a fair use limit of 500 miles per week, excludes peak weekends,this doesn't apply in July and August). For bookings shorter than 72 hours, 20 miles free fuel was provided per calendar day, after which additional mileage was charged at 22p per mile.http://www.mystreetcar.co.uk/pricing-1page.aspx On March 1st 2011, Streetcar announced that their Overnight Rate would become a permanent feature, after previously being a limited offer. With this, members can book a Streetcar or Streetvan from 6pm to 9am, Monday to Thursday, for just £25.http://www.mystreetcar.co.uk/pricing-1page.aspx
Membership of Streetcar used to cost just £59.50 per year , with cars available from £5.25 per hour. http://www.streetcar.co.ukSince its merger with zipcar in 2010, the cost per hour has decreased slightly to £5
Over 2,000 businesses are registered members of Streetcar for Business, with corporate clients of the pay-as-you-go scheme include Kellogg’s, as well as local government authorities including Surrey County Council.http://www.comparecarrentals.co.uk/news/89127639.html
and Big Yellow Self Storage. Streetvan membership costs £19.50 per year, and provides members with access to every van in the fleet. All vehicles are VW Transporter vans, and are available for £8.95 per hour. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23515804-chance-to-join-white-van-men.do http://www.streetvan.co.uk
, and in London also Streetcar's new owner Zipcar
and Connect by Hertz.
Research has also shown that using carsharing
clubs such as Streetcar can have financial benefits. According to government-sponsored website carclubs.org.uk, car owners who drive less than 6,000 miles a year can save up to £3,500.http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6889640.ece
Zipcar
Zipcar is an American membership-based car sharing company providing automobile reservations to its members, billable by the hour or day. Zipcar was founded in 2000 by Cambridge, Massachusetts residents Antje Danielson and Robin Chase, and is now led by Scott Griffith, Chairman and Chief Executive...
in late 2010. This article discusses Streetcars operations prior to the merger;
Streetcar was the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest carsharing
Carsharing
Car sharing or Carsharing is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. They are attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use...
company, with over 75,000 members.http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6889640.ece Vehicles were parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces primarily in London, but also across a total of 10 UK cities including Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Guildford, Maidstone and Southampton. Members could book vehicles from 30 minutes up to six months, online or by phone. A smartcard was used to pick up and return the car at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.
On 21 April 2010, Streetcar and Zipcar
Zipcar
Zipcar is an American membership-based car sharing company providing automobile reservations to its members, billable by the hour or day. Zipcar was founded in 2000 by Cambridge, Massachusetts residents Antje Danielson and Robin Chase, and is now led by Scott Griffith, Chairman and Chief Executive...
announced a merger of their rival operations. The fleet merged under the Zipcar brand and the in-vehicle technology was combined to provide membership of both companies access to more than 1,000 vehicles around England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, as well as international access to vehicles in Zipcar's existing markets across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The merger plan resulted in a request from the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
for an enquiry by the British Competition Commission
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission is a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom...
, which is expected to deliver its report in January 2011, as a merger would mean that the combined company would control 80-90% of the UK market.
History
DurhamDurham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
University friends Brett Akker and Andrew Valentine founded Streetcar in 2004 after seeing its commercial success in the US. They started with 8 cars in locations near Clapham Junction station, and much of the growth since inception has occurred organically through word-of-mouth recommendations.http://media.streetcar.co.uk/ES%201%20October%202004.PDF In March 2007, Streetcar took on £6.4m from Smedvig Capital - an investment which saw Trevor Chinn
Trevor Chinn
Sir Trevor Edwin Chinn, CVO, is a prominent British businessman and philanthropist. He was educated at Clifton College.-Business career:Chinn started his career at Lex Garages where he followed in his father Rosser's footsteps, ascending to the role of Managing Director in 1968 at the age of 33...
come on board as chairman.
The Streetcar fleet consisted of VW Golfs, VW Polos, VW Transporter vans and VW Tourans.http://www.streetcar.co.uk From January 2010, Streetcar also introduced the BMW 1 Series
BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is an entry level sports car produced by the German automaker BMW since 2004. The 1 Series is unusual in its class as it features rear-wheel drive, 50:50 weight balance, a longitudinally-mounted engine and an advanced aluminum multilink suspension...
and BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...
to their fleet. The BMW models Streetcar chose, the 116d, 118d and 318d http://www.streetcar.co.uk/cars.aspx are all class leading cars, with carbon emissions of 119g/km and efficiency of 62.8 mpg across the range.http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/pricesandspecifications/0,,1156_1484__bs-MQ%3D%3D%40bb-S08%3D,00.html In June 2009, Streetcar became the first UK car club to provide an electric car to its members, as part of a trial with Camden Council.http://www.fleetworld.net/fleet-cars.php/news/?id=2341
In January 2010, Streetcar also launched their own iPhone application (which is free to download), allowing members across the UK to locate, book and even open a car using their iPhone or iPod touch.http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/streetcar-iphone-app-20-lets-you-unlock-and-drive-away-49304755/
Streetcar had over 1,200 locations across 10 UK cities including; London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, and Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
.http://www.streetcar.co.uk/about.aspx
Membership details
Streetcars were booked online or by phone, and could be collected and returned at any time using the member's personal smart cardSmart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
and PIN
Personal identification number
A personal identification number is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate the user to the system. Typically, the user is required to provide a non-confidential user identifier or token and a confidential PIN to gain access to the system...
. Usage charges were based on the length of time the client keeps the car, and mileage during the rental (the first 20 miles per calendar day were free)currently zip car offers 40 free miles per day. In June 2009 Streetcar announced that members would no longer have to pay London's congestion charge. For car bookings over 72 hours the cost of fuel was included (up to a fair use limit of 500 miles per week, excludes peak weekends,this doesn't apply in July and August). For bookings shorter than 72 hours, 20 miles free fuel was provided per calendar day, after which additional mileage was charged at 22p per mile.http://www.mystreetcar.co.uk/pricing-1page.aspx On March 1st 2011, Streetcar announced that their Overnight Rate would become a permanent feature, after previously being a limited offer. With this, members can book a Streetcar or Streetvan from 6pm to 9am, Monday to Thursday, for just £25.http://www.mystreetcar.co.uk/pricing-1page.aspx
Membership of Streetcar used to cost just £59.50 per year , with cars available from £5.25 per hour. http://www.streetcar.co.ukSince its merger with zipcar in 2010, the cost per hour has decreased slightly to £5
Streetcar for Business
In 2008, Streetcar launched "Streetcar for Business" as a result of its developing relationship with companies across the UK, and in recognition of the differing needs of businesses and individuals. Business accounts (which cost £99 annually)http://www.streetcarforbusiness.co.uk/pricing/usage_rates.aspx provide employees access to every vehicle in the Streetcar fleet, with the option to add drivers to the account for a one-off charge of £10 each. The service has been used as an example of a practical and green alternative to grey fleets or reimbursed private mileage. http://www.whatpc.co.uk/financial-director/features/2251527/parkyourcosts-4852259?page=2 http://www.streetcarforbusiness.co.ukOver 2,000 businesses are registered members of Streetcar for Business, with corporate clients of the pay-as-you-go scheme include Kellogg’s, as well as local government authorities including Surrey County Council.http://www.comparecarrentals.co.uk/news/89127639.html
Streetvan
In July 2008 Streetcar launched Streetvan, in conjunction with HomebaseHomebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
and Big Yellow Self Storage. Streetvan membership costs £19.50 per year, and provides members with access to every van in the fleet. All vehicles are VW Transporter vans, and are available for £8.95 per hour. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23515804-chance-to-join-white-van-men.do http://www.streetvan.co.uk
Competitors
Streetcar's main competitors on the UK market are were City Car ClubCity Car Club
City Car Club is one of the leading car club operators in the UK. Established in 2000 and with over 500 vehicles, it is the oldest and one of the largest Car Clubs operating at a national scale in the country. Operating a range of low-emissions vehicles, it uses the now standard technologies of...
, and in London also Streetcar's new owner Zipcar
Zipcar
Zipcar is an American membership-based car sharing company providing automobile reservations to its members, billable by the hour or day. Zipcar was founded in 2000 by Cambridge, Massachusetts residents Antje Danielson and Robin Chase, and is now led by Scott Griffith, Chairman and Chief Executive...
and Connect by Hertz.
Environmental and financial benefits
Membership of Car clubs such as Streetcar can make a valuable environmental contribution: Research by Transport for London shows that each Streetcar takes some 26 cars off the roads for every one club car put on the road.http://www.loop-pr.co.uk/loop_blog/2009/10/streetcar-booming-in-hammersmith-and-fulham/Research has also shown that using carsharing
Carsharing
Car sharing or Carsharing is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. They are attractive to customers who make only occasional use of a vehicle, as well as others who would like occasional access to a vehicle of a different type than they use...
clubs such as Streetcar can have financial benefits. According to government-sponsored website carclubs.org.uk, car owners who drive less than 6,000 miles a year can save up to £3,500.http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6889640.ece