Co-wheels, the UK’s only independent national car club operator, now has its entire Isle of Wight fleet of hybrid and low emission vehicles on the island, with a total of ten vehicles now available to book in five key locations including Cowes, Newport, Sandown, Ryde and Freshwater. The scheme is also open to increasing the fleet in the future based on demand.
The launch of the Co-wheels car sharing service on the Isle of Wight in October 2016, was instigated with the aim of giving residents, visitors and local businesses access to an affordable, flexible and hassle-free transport option for getting around the island. The car club implementation has been funded by the Department for Transport’s Developing Car Clubs in England programme, administered by Carplus and is supported by the Isle of Wight Council. For more information on the scheme, visit www.co-wheels.org.uk/iow
Isle of Wight Council Executive member for transport and infrastructure, Councillor Ian Ward, said of the scheme, “We have been delighted to welcome the Co-wheels scheme to the Isle of Wight as a funding initiative of the Department for Transport. Environmental sustainability, reducing carbon emissions and car congestion, at the same time as enabling access to travel are important long term aims for the council.
“Over the last few months, we have already seen Co-wheels car club support residents, visitors and commuters to reduce their reliance on their own vehicles and think about different ways of travelling sustainably and we are thrilled to see the fleet expand to cover more users and more of the island.”
Car club usage is growing rapidly across the UK – over the past five years, there has been a sustained growth in car club membership as more people see the benefits and cost saving of not owning their own car. Co-wheels currently has over 15,000 drivers who have access to more than 600 vehicles in 60 locations across the UK.
Of the car club scheme on the Isle of Wight, Paul Crabb, Location Support Worker for Co-wheels said, “Co-wheels has been really well received by local residents, businesses and visitors to the island over the last few months, and there has been a growing interest in this new form of transport and the benefits that joining a car club can bring to the local community. We are thrilled to have expanded our fleet across the island ensuring even greater usage and take-up.”
It is easy to join the car club by signing up online at www.co-wheels.org.uk/iow. After joining, members will receive a smartcard, allowing them to book online and have keyless access to the cars. The high specification hybrid and low emission cars can be booked for short periods – from half an hour – or for days at a time at discounted rates. Hire is from £4.50 per hour, plus a mileage fee of 15p. As a Social Enterprise, Co-wheels is committed to working to develop and improve access to more sustainable car use for communities all over the UK.
