Carplus Annual Survey 2012/13: Results for London

Carplus Annual Survey of Car Clubs 2012/13london

Prepared for Carplus by Steer Davies Gleave

Carplus Annual Survey 2012/13

Results for London

Report

June 2013

Prepared for: Prepared by:

Carplus

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Steer Davies Gleave

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Cover photo courtesy of Zipcar

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Results for London

Contents

CONTENTS

FOREWORD ........................................................................................... I

Background ............................................................................................ i

The Carplus Annual Survey 2012/13 ............................................................. ii

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................. 1

Member and Joiners Survey ........................................................................ 1

Corporate Member Survey .......................................................................... 2

Corporate Administrator Survey ................................................................... 3

Operators Survey ..................................................................................... 3

Emissions and Air Quality ........................................................................... 4

2 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 5

About Carplus ......................................................................................... 5

The Carplus Annual Surveys ........................................................................ 5

3 RESULTS OF THE MEMBERS AND JOINERS SURVEYS ....................................... 11

4 RESULTS OF THE PEER-TO-PEER MEMBER SURVEY ......................................... 27

5 RESULTS OF THE CORPORATE MEMBER SURVEY ............................................ 39

6 RESULTS OF THE CORPORATE ADMINISTRATOR SURVEY ................................. 45

7 RESULTS OF THE OPERATOR SURVEY AND EMISSIONS ANALYSIS AND PROFILING ... 55

Operator Survey .................................................................................... 55

Emissions Analysis and Profiling ................................................................. 59

8 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS ..................................................................... 69

Members and Joiners Survey ..................................................................... 69

Peer-to-Peer Member Survey .................................................................... 70

Corporate Member Survey ........................................................................ 71

Corporate Administrator Survey ................................................................. 71

Operator Survey .................................................................................... 72

Emissions Analysis and Profiling ................................................................. 73

FIGURES

Figure 3.1 Map of responses by Local Authority area ............................. 12

Figure 3.2 Member satisfaction with the current service ........................ 13

Figure 3.3 Joiner satisfaction with the current service ........................... 13

Figure 3.4 Joiner satisfaction with information .................................... 14

Results for London

Contents

Figure 3.5 Car ownership before and after joining a car club ................... 14

Figure 3.6 Annual mileage driven using a car club car (members) ............. 15

Figure 3.7 Annual mileage driven using a household car (members) ........... 16

Figure 3.8 Annual mileage driven in any car (joiners) ............................ 16

Figure 3.9 Influence of car club membership on car ownership (members) .. 18

Figure 3.10 Influence of car club membership on annual mileage travelled ... 18

Figure 3.11 Change in member mileage .............................................. 19

Figure 3.12 Influence of car club membership on car purchase .................. 20

Figure 3.13 Likelihood of purchasing a car in future ............................... 20

Figure 3.14 Frequency of use of other modes (members) ......................... 21

Figure 3.15 Frequency of use of other modes before & after joining ........... 23

Figure 3.16 Reasons for joining a car club ............................................ 24

Figure 3.17 Changes in personal circumstances at time of joining .............. 25

Figure 4.1 Location of members ...................................................... 28

Figure 4.2 Age of Whipcar respondents .............................................. 28

Figure 4.3 Number of rentals .......................................................... 29

Figure 4.4 Satisfaction with Whipcar’s service ..................................... 29

Figure 4.5 Number of cars owned prior to joining Whipcar ...................... 30

Figure 4.6 Numbers of cars owned at time of survey ............................. 30

Figure 4.7 Car sold or disposed and effect of Whipcar ........................... 31

Figure 4.8 Mileage during the last year - Whipcar ................................. 32

Figure 4.9 Mileage during the last year – any car .................................. 32

Figure 4.10 Change in household annual mileage since joining Whipcar ....... 33

Figure 4.11 Propensity for household to buy a private car ........................ 33

Figure 4.12 Likelihood that household will buy a car in the next few years ... 34

Figure 4.13 Frequency of use of other modes ....................................... 35

Figure 4.14 Reason for joining Whipcar ............................................... 36

Figure 4.15 Significant life-events at the time of joining Whipcar .............. 37

Figure 5.1 Satisfaction with car clubs ............................................... 40

Figure 5.2 Frequency of car club use ................................................ 40

Figure 5.3 Modes used for business travel before and after joining a car club

................................................................................ 41

Figure 5.4 Influence of car club membership on travel behaviour ............. 42

Figure 5.5 Influence of car club membership on business travel arrangements

................................................................................ 43

Results for London

Contents

Figure 6.1 Organisation sector ........................................................ 45

Figure 6.2 Number of employees in organisation .................................. 46

Figure 6.3 Number of employees in car club ....................................... 46

Figure 6.4 Satisfaction with car club service ....................................... 47

Figure 6.5 Perceived benefits of joining a car club ............................... 48

Figure 6.6 Proportion of business mileage travelled using car club cars ...... 49

Figure 6.7 Mileage information collected ........................................... 50

Figure 6.8 Travel plans and policies .................................................. 50

Figure 6.9 Changes to travel policies since joining the car club ................ 52

Figure 6.10 Travel options ............................................................... 53

Figure 7.1 Gender profile of members (2010-2012) ............................... 56

Figure 7.2 Age profile of members (2010-2012) .................................... 57

Figure 7.3 Number of hires per member per year ................................. 58

Figure 7.4 Miles travelled per hire ................................................... 59

Figure 7.5 Profile of the London car club and British national fleets .......... 62

Figure 7.6 London car club fleet carbon emissions profile ....................... 63

Figure 7.7 London car club fleet Euro emissions profile .......................... 66

Figure 7.8 London car club fleet Euro emissions profile by car club ........... 66

TABLES

Table 2.1 The Carplus surveys .......................................................... 6

Table 2.2 Survey response and reporting region .................................... 9

Table 3.1 Average annual mileage travelled by car club members ............ 17

Table 3.2 Comparing member travel behaviour with general population .... 22

Table 5.1 Use of cars and vans ....................................................... 42

Table 6.1 Travel policy measures .................................................... 51

Table 7.1 Members by location ....................................................... 55

Table 7.2 Vehicle usage ............................................................... 58

Table 7.3 Profile of car club cars in London by VED emission band ........... 61

Table 7.4 Carbon emissions of car club cars and the British national fleet .. 63

Table 7.5 Car club fuel types and emissions ....................................... 64

Table 7.6 Emissions by Euro standard ............................................... 65

Table 7.7 Car club fuel types and air quality emissions ......................... 67

Table 7.8 Maximum permitted emissions for vans by Euro standard .......... 68

Results for London

Contents

APPENDICES

A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES

B CAR CLUB EMISSIONS SUMMARY TABLE

Results for London

Foreword

Foreword

Background

London is the largest market in Europe for traditional car clubs (known as car

sharing outside of the United Kingdom) and the second largest globally. Over the

past five years, there has been sustained growth in both car club membership and

the geographical coverage of car clubs across London. Despite a difficult economic

environment for growth, during 2012 further progress has been made in terms of

member numbers, network coverage and sector innovation1. Member numbers

grew to 122,300 using a network of approximately 2,270 cars2 across the capital.

The coverage of the concept also extended with cars reaching from Enfield in the

north to Sutton in the south and from Abbey Wood in the east to Hounslow in the

west. A significant proportion of Londoners now have access to a car club car

within five minutes’ walk of where they live. Several boroughs are considering

ways to open up the market to allow for more than one operator, notably

Hackney.

Transport for London’s 2008 Car Club Strategy provided the framework for much of

the progress achieved to date. Carplus, operators, Transport for London (TfL) and

City Hall are now working collaboratively to ensure that, five years on, car clubs

are given the renewed strategic direction and support that will allow their

identified potential to be realised. Forward thinking policies by City Hall, TfL and

Boroughs mixed with ambition and entrepreneurship of private sector operators

has given London a leadership position in the global car club market. Importantly,

car clubs continue to make a unique and significant contribution to the

achievement of TfL’s objectives on carbon reduction, improving air quality and

reducing private car dependence as part of promoting a broad range of sustainable

transport measures. Car clubs should no longer be seen as an ‘alternative’ option,

but rather a common sense approach to getting from A to B that sit comfortably

alongside active travel and public transport.

In terms of innovation, the past year has seen an acceleration of the roll out of

electric and hybrid electric vehicles across London with the launch of electric

vehicle only E-Car club3, the trial of Vauxhall Ampere’s by Zipcar and the

continued expansion of City Car Club’s hybrid fleet. Whilst financial and

operational barriers do still exist to widespread adoption of electric and hybrid

vehicles as part of the car club fleet, the market is committed to their adoption

and progress has continued towards this goal4. The average carbon emissions of the

1 The difficult economic climate has sadly resulted in Greenwheels closing down their London operations and peer

to peer operator Whipcar also closing its doors after three years of operation.

2 Member and vehicle numbers as at May 2013.

3 With vehicles in Tower Hamlets to be launched shortly. Initial operations have been in three locations outside

London with an operations centre in SE1.

4 For further information see the Carplus guidance document – Electric Vehicles in Car Clubs (available to members

only).

Results for London

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car club fleets in London in 2012/13 are 31% lower than the national average car

and 15% lower than the car club fleet average reported in 2011/12.

Whilst progress to date has been rapid (it is easy to forget that this market place

had not existed to any real degree before 2005), the most exciting part of the car

club story is what is still to be achieved. Market observers such as Frost and

Sullivan predict a further 10-fold rise in car club membership by 2020, and the rise

of the sharing economy as well as evidence from countries such as Germany,

Austria and Switzerland, indicate significant untapped potential of car clubs to

reduce the impacts of car traffic, support active travel and facilitate modal

integration.

The Carplus Annual Survey 2012/13

The Carplus Annual Surveys further reinforce the important role that car clubs play

in improving air quality, reducing private car ownership and congestion whilst also

providing access to a car as a transport option when a journey cannot be made by

other modes.

The Survey is the most comprehensive dataset collected across the car club sector

on an annual basis since 2007. This year’s survey represents a considerable

expansion of the scope of data collected in the previous five years and includes

the results of business user and administrator surveys, together with a survey of

Whipcar peer to peer users. For the first time, this report also includes a

comprehensive and detailed profile of emissions of car club operators fleets.

Chas Ball, Chief Executive, June 2013

Results for London

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1 Executive Summary

Member and Joiners Survey

1.1 The results of the Carplus annual members and joiners survey reported in this

document provide information about the travel behaviour of car club members in

London. In 2012, 2,741 car club members based in London responded to the

members and joiners survey.

Changes to car ownership

1.2 Car club membership reduces car ownership. For existing members, car ownership

levels have halved after joining a car club. Before joining a car club 45% of existing

members owned a car. After joining a car club just under a fifth still own a car.

For each car club vehicle in London, 6 private cars are taken off the road5.

Therefore, 13,620 private cars are not on London’s roads as a consequence of the

presence of 2,270 car club cars in the capital.

1.3 Car club membership also reduces the number of private cars purchased. Nearly a

third of car club members state they would have bought a car if they hadn’t joined

a car club. For each car club vehicle in London the purchase of up to 14 cars is

deferred. Therefore, the purchase of up to 31,780 private cars has been deferred

as a consequence of the presence of 2,270 car club cars in the capital.

Changes to car use

1.4 Car club membership reduces car travel. The average mileage travelled by car club

members in London, using car club cars and household cars, is 4,195 miles; 50%

lower than the National Travel Survey average of 8,430 miles6.

Travel behaviour by car club members

1.5 Compared to London averages from the London Travel Demand Survey7, car club

members in London cycle and use public transport more. Travel by Underground,

bicycle and train are more than twice the London average; levels of bus use are

slightly higher.

1.6 After joining a car club, on average, members drive less often and walk and use

public transport more often. One third of members in London cycle at least once a

week, compared with the London average of 13%.

5 The operator survey (see Section 7) provides the average number of car club members per car club car (48). By

applying the proportion of respondents in London who stated that they had sold or disposed of a car in the last 12

months to the number of car club members per car, we can estimate how many private cars are removed from the

road. This assumes that the sale of a car by a car club member results in a car eventually being removed from

circulation at the end of the chain. See page 17, para 3.11 for a detailed explanation of the methodology

6 Department for Transport (2011) National Travel Survey Table NTS0901. Last accessed online 4th June 2013 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets

7 London Travel Demand Survey 2009/10, Transport for London.

Results for London

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Satisfaction with car club services

1.7 Satisfaction with the service they receive from car club operators amongst both

existing members and recent joiners remains high with nine out of ten members

rating the service they receive as “Very Good” or “Good”.

1.8 Nine out of ten recent joiners rate information received before and during early

bookings as “Very Good” or “Good”.

Reasons for joining a car club

1.9 Individuals often consider the way that they travel at key points of change in their

lives, i.e. moving house or starting a new job. 31% of recent car club joiners had

just moved to the area, while 13% had either recently changed jobs or retired.

These findings highlight an opportunity to promote car club membership to

potential members when there is a significant change in their lifestyle and they

are likely to be changing or considering how they travel.

Survey coverage

1.10 Member responses reflected the locations where car clubs are established and the

car club market is most mature with highest numbers of responses in the Inner

London boroughs of Camden and Wandsworth.

Corporate Member Survey


1.11 Corporate members are generally satisfied with car club services with nine out of

ten corporate members rating services as either very good or good.

Use of car clubs

1.12 Around half of corporate members use cars clubs once a month or more. One in

five corporate car club members use car clubs once a week or more.

Travel behaviour by corporate car club members

1.13 After joining a car club, use of private cars for work-related trips are reduced from

46% to 7%. 16% of corporate car club members drove to work less suggesting that

they are either using alternative travel modes to commute or they are adjusting

their working pattern to reduce the frequency of their commute e.g. working from

home. 15% of corporate car club members also use car club vehicles for non-work

trips.

1.14 After joining a car club, corporate car club members reduced the use of their own

car for business travel. They also made the following changes to their car travel

options for work related trips:

I Used pool cars less;

I Used car rental less; and

I Used car clubs more.

After joining the car club, corporate car club users also used public transport

slightly less than they did before they joined but walked slightly more. Cycling

levels remained the same.

Results for London

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Changes to corporate travel policies

1.15 A minority of corporate respondents noted changes in company policies regarding

car use since their organisation joined a car club. 16% noted changes to

discourage use of private cars for business use while 14% noted that pool cars had

been replaced by car club vehicles.

Corporate Administrator Survey

1.16 The majority of organisations (76%) that responded to the survey were in the

private sector and most (72%) employ fewer than 10 individuals. Car club

membership may appeal to smaller companies, particularly in central locations,

whose staff do not travel by car frequently on business journeys or do not have

resources to manage a car fleet. In the larger organisations, car club membership

was a relatively small minority of employees (less than 10% in most cases).

Car club membership

1.17 Most corporate members joined a car club recently. Almost half of all

organisations joined a car club in the last year with over 80% joining in the last

three years.


1.18 Administrators were generally happy with car club services, with eight out of ten

rating services as very good or good.

Membership benefits

1.19 Almost a third of corporate administrators cited cost savings as a benefit of car

clubs. One in five respondents noted reduced administration, with 15% mentioning

improved employee satisfaction.

Use of car club cars

1.20 Car club use represents a relatively small proportion of business mileage for

businesses which are car club members. For half of all businesses less than 10% of

their business mileage used car club cars, likely to be shorter journeys. This

illustrates that corporate car club membership is used as part of a wider staff

travel offer that may include other modes and other types of car travel. There are

some businesses which are more reliant on car club vehicles. One in ten

respondents estimated that between 80% and 90% of business mileage made use of

car club cars while a quarter of respondents estimated that at least half of all

business travel made use of car club vehicles.

Operators Survey

1.21 For the operator survey each car club operator has provided details of their vehicle

fleet, membership numbers and characteristics of members and data regarding use

of car clubs by their members such as mileage travelled. The data is reported on a

national basis, (i.e. for England and Wales, London and Scotland).

Results for London

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1.22 A significant proportion (84%) of car club members are based in London. A higher

proportion of car club members are male (61%8), compared to the British national

average (54%). There has over time however been an small increase in the

proportion of female members of car clubs. The age profile of car club members

typically reflects the locations where car clubs are most popular with a high

proportion of members aged 25 to 44 (72%), this compares to 35% of British

national licence holders.

1.23 Compared to last year, the average annual number of car club rentals has

increased from 6.7 hires in 2011/12 to 8.2 hires in 2012/13. In 2012/13 average

rental duration was 6.7 hours, similar to the 6.8 hour reported in 2011/12.

1.24 Average annual car club mileage per member has increased to 305 miles in

2012/13 from 237 miles in 2011/12. It should be noted that this these numbers

are considerably lower than the self-reported mileage recorded in the annual

member surveys, which may indicate that individuals find it hard to accurately

estimate their mileage travelled.

Emissions and Air Quality

1.25 The emissions analysis and profiling report showed that overall the car club fleets

in London offer members vehicles that are low carbon and meet the current (Euro

5) air quality standards.

1.26 Almost all club cars are in the lowest three VED emission Bands A to C with most

club cars in Band C. In the British car fleet most vehicles are in Band G (151-165

g/km).

1.27 The average carbon emissions of the car club fleets in London in 2012/13 are 31%

lower than the national average car and 15% lower than the British car club fleet

average reported in 2011/12.

1.28 Car clubs with the most petrol and petrol-electric hybrid vehicles achieved the

lowest average published carbon emissions.

1.29 The car club fleet in London is almost 100% Euro 5 compliant (up from 80% in

2011).

1.30 When selecting new vehicles for use in London, there is a need to balance climate

change (low carbon, fuel efficient), public health (low toxic emissions; notably

nitrogen oxides and particulates) and whole life costs (depreciation or lease,

insurance, maintenance and repairs).

8 Operator survey figures include 7% of members where gender is not known, therefore a comparable male

percentage for all operators is likely to be slightly higher than reported.

Results for London

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2 Introduction

2.1 The Carplus Annual Survey is the only comprehensive and independently verified

dataset collected on the car club sector in the UK. The Carplus Annual Survey has

collected data on car club operations, membership profiles and the impact of car

club membership on travel choices and the environment since 2007.

2.2 This is the sixth edition of the Carplus Annual Survey and covers the period 2012-

13. It has been administered by consultants Steer Davies Gleave on behalf of

Carplus.

2.3 The data collected from the Carplus Annual Survey is compiled into 3 regional

reports that reflect the principal geographical areas of operation of car clubs in

Great Britain:

I England and Wales (excluding London)

I London

I Scotland

2.4 This report provides the results of the 2012/13 Carplus Annual Survey for London.

All three regional versions of the Carplus Annual Survey are available on the

Carplus website: www.carplus.org.uk.

About Carplus

2.5 Carplus is a not-for-profit, environmental transport NGO that promotes accessible,

affordable and low-carbon alternatives to traditional car use in the UK. While

recognising the benefits that cars can bring to society, Carplus believes that a new

approach to car use and ownership is needed in order to mitigate the financial,

environmental, social and health costs of motoring today.

2.6 Carplus is the national accreditation body for car clubs in the UK and co-ordinates

annual data collection and research for the sector.

The Carplus Annual Surveys

2.7 Carplus is committed to a standardised data collection system to assess the

impacts of car clubs and inform development of car clubs in the UK. Since 2007,

Carplus has worked with car clubs to collect a range of data from car club

members and recent joiners about their travel habits and use of car clubs. The

data collected by Carplus continues to grow: in 2012, additional surveys of

corporate members and peer-to-peer car club users were conducted to

complement the established survey of members and joiners. The results of these

surveys are presented in this report. Table 2.1 summarises the five surveys that

were undertaken.

Results for London

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TABLE 2.1 THE CARPLUS SURVEYS

Survey Name Respondents

Members and Joiners Survey Individual, private members and recent joiners of

traditional ‘back-to-base’ car clubs

Peer-to-Peer Survey Individual, private members of peer-to-peer car

clubs

Corporate User Survey Individual car club members whose membership is

provided through their employer

Corporate Administrator Survey Employees responsible for administrating car club

corporate accounts

Operator Survey (including

emissions profiling and analysis)

Car club operators

2.8 All of the main back-to-base car club operators in Great Britain that are accredited

by Carplus are required to take part in the survey. The 2012 surveys were co-

ordinated in conjunction with:

I City Car Club;

I Co-wheels;

I Enterprise CarShare;

I Greenwheels9;

I Hertz on Demand; and

I Zipcar.

2.9 This year the UK’s primary peer-to-peer car club Whipcar10 was also invited to

participate in the survey in order to provide an insight into this new model of car

club to the UK market.

2.10 A number of community car clubs also participated on a voluntary basis (although

none of these were operational in London).

2.11 The surveys were conducted using online forms and each operator was responsible

for communicating the surveys to their members and offering incentives for

completion. The survey period was 29th October 2012 – 14th December 2012. Upon

completion of the surveys, Carplus provided each operator with a file containing

the responses from their members.

2.12 The surveys issued to car club members in 2012 are described below.

9 Whilst Greenwheels participated in the Annual Survey, by the time of publication they had closed down their

operations in London.

10 At the time of the survey, Whipcar was the primary operator of peer to peer car sharing in the UK. However, on

12th March 2013, prior to the publication of this report, Whipcar closed its operations.

Results for London

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Car club members and joiners survey

2.13 The survey of car club members and joiners was largely unchanged from the

surveys that have been conducted since 2007. It contained questions on the

following topics:

I Satisfaction with car clubs;

I Car mileage travelled using car club cars and private cars;

I Influence of car clubs on car ownership choices and miles travelled; and

I Use of other modes of transport.

2.14 The 2012 survey contained additional questions regarding:

I Reasons for joining a car club; and

I Personal circumstances when joining a car club.

2.15 In this report, members who had joined the car club in the three months prior to

completing the survey are referred to as “joiners”. Respondents who had joined

before this time are referred to as “members”.

2.16 Joiners were asked specific questions regarding satisfaction with the joining

process and the information and guidance received during early bookings.

Additionally, they were asked to describe their travel habits before and after

joining the car club in order to identify any immediate changes in travel behaviour

that may be related to car club membership.

Peer-to-Peer car club member survey

2.17 A new survey was issued in 2012 to members of the UK's primary peer-to-peer car

club in operation at the time, Whipcar. In a peer to peer car club, the vehicles are

owned by the members, rather than a car club operator. Members are able to rent

out their personal vehicle for money when they are not using it. As a business

model, it is closely aligned to traditional 'back-to-base' car clubs. However, in

contrast to traditional car clubs, the peer to peer vehicle fleet is 'virtual' i.e. it

fluctuates according to the number of participating car owners. The survey

contained similar questions to the member survey regarding mileage consumption

and vehicle ownership.

2.18 At the time of the survey, Whipcar was the sole peer-to-peer car club in operation.

Since the survey was issued, Whipcar closed in March 2013 citing "barriers to

widespread adoption of peer-to-peer car rental". However, the results of their

survey have still been included within this report as they provide a valuable insight

into an alternative model of car club that may well re-appear on the UK market in

the future.

Operator survey

2.19 Each of the main back-to-base car club operators provided details of their vehicle

fleet, membership numbers and characteristics of members and data regarding use

of car clubs by their members such as mileage travelled. The questions issued to

operators were the same as for previous years, with the exception of the removal

of questions requesting NOx and PM10 data for car club fleets. This information

has been collected separately as explained below. Some not-for-profit, community

car clubs also participated in the operator survey. Whipcar did not participate.

Results for London

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2.20 In a development from previous years, emissions data has been independently

verified by Gfleet Services Ltd using vehicle registration marks (VRM) and

published datasets from DVLA (Driver and Licensing Vehicle Agency), VCA (Vehicle

Certification Agency) and vehicle manufacturers which enables the production of

fuller and more accurate emissions profiling (including nitrogen oxides and

particulates). The profiles are based on the vehicles each participating operator

had on-fleet at 1st April 201311.

2.21 To protect the confidentiality of operators, company names are not quoted in any

data. Instead, where reference to individual operators is necessary, each operator

has been allocated a code name e.g. 'Car Club 1'. These code names have been

applied consistently across all 3 regional versions of the Annual Survey reports.

Where region specific data is reported, only operators that are operational in that

region are included. For example, in London, Car Club 4 is not operational in this

region and therefore no data is reported in this report.

Corporate member survey

2.22 This year, a new questionnaire survey was issued to car club corporate members.

This group primarily comprises members who use car clubs for work-related trips

and whose membership is paid for by their employer. Corporate members were

asked to complete a short survey which included questions regarding:

I Satisfaction with their car club;

I Frequency of car club use;

I Modes of travel used for work-related trips before and after joining a car club;

I Types of car club vehicles used;

I Impacts of joining a car club on work-related travel behaviour; and

I Changes in policies or business travel arrangements.

Corporate administrator survey

2.23 A separate, more detailed survey was issued to workplace contacts who are

responsible for administering the corporate membership. This included questions

about:

I Business sector and number of employees;

I Number of car club members in the organisation;

I Year joined;

I Satisfaction with service from the car club operator;

I Perceived benefits of joining a car club;

I Business mileage travelled using car club cars;

I Travel-related data collected by the organisation (e.g. staff travel surveys);

I Whether travel plans or other green travel policies were in place;

I Types of travel policies and any changes since joining the car club; and

I Other travel plan measures in place.

11 Whipcar and Greenwheels did not participate in this part of the survey as they had both closed operations before

1st April 2013

Results for London

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Survey response

2.24 The number of responses to each survey and the reporting region are shown in

Table 2.2.

TABLE 2.2 SURVEY RESPONSE AND REPORTING REGION

Survey

England and

Wales

(excluding

London)

Scotland London TOTAL

Members and

Joiners Survey 828 401 2,741 3,970

Corporate

Members Survey 476* 112 173* 761

Corporate

Administrators

Survey

50 21 88 159

Peer-to-Peer

Survey 66 3 207 276

TOTAL 1,420 537 3,209 5,166

*It is possible that some respondents based in London stated their location as

“England”.

Structure of this report

2.25 Following this introduction, the report is structured as follows:

I Section 3 contains the results of the member and joiner surveys for individual, private members in London;

I Section 4 contains results of the peer-to-peer member survey for the whole of the UK;

I Sections 5 and 6 contain the results of the corporate member and corporate administrator surveys for Great Britain;

I Section 7 contains the results of the operator survey for Great Britain and the emissions analysis and profiling for the London car club fleet.

I Section 8 contains a summary discussion of the results of all surveys.

2.26 The results of the peer-to-peer, corporate member, corporate administrator and

operator surveys are not disaggregated by reporting region; the results represent

the responses of the UK or Great Britain sample12.

12 This is because the regional sample sizes for these surveys were not large enough to enable conclusive analysis on

a regional basis.

Results for London

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3 Results of the Members and Joiners Surveys

Introduction

3.1 This section provides the results of the surveys completed by 2,741 individual,

private members and recent joiners of car clubs in London. Separate reports are

available containing the results of the surveys completed by members and joiners

in England and Wales (excluding London) and Scotland from the Carplus website at

(www.carplus.org.uk).

Respondent profile

3.2 Figure 3.1 shows the distribution of responses to the survey across the London

boroughs. The majority of respondents in London were from Inner London

boroughs, in particular Camden, Wandsworth, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets - areas

where most trips can be made using public transport, walking or cycling with car

travel as a secondary mode thus representing the core market for car clubs. A

smaller proportion of responses came from respondents based in Outer London

boroughs. The map provides an indication of the distribution of car clubs across

London.

Results for London

12

FIGURE 3.1 MAP OF RESPONSES BY LOCAL AUTHORITY AREA

Results for London

13

Satisfaction with car clubs and their processes

3.3 The majority of car club members in London remain satisfied with the service

provided by their car club operator. 88% rate their car club’s service as “Very

Good” or “Good”: a 5 percentage point increase on 2011/12 (Figure 3.2). In 2012,

13% of members rated the service they received as “Average” or “Poor”.

FIGURE 3.2 MEMBER SATISFACTION WITH THE CURRENT SERVICE

3.4 Joiner satisfaction was similarly high with 89% stating that the service they receive

is “Very Good” or “Good” (Figure 3.3). This is a 5 percentage point increase on the

proportion of individuals rating their car club’s service in the top two categories in

2011/12.

FIGURE 3.3 JOINER SATISFACTION WITH THE CURRENT SERVICE

3.5 As shown in Figure 3.4, the majority of joiners (89%) state that the information

they received from their car club operator both before and during early booking

was either “Very Good” or “Good”.

39%

44%

14%

3% 1%

41%

47%

10%

2% 1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Very Good Good Average Poor Very Poor

Proportion of respondents

2011/12 2012/13

46%

38%

9%5%

3%

53%

36%

8%

1% 1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%



2011/12 2012/13

Results for London

14

FIGURE 3.4 JOINER SATISFACTION WITH INFORMATION

Car ownership and use before and after joining a car club

3.6 Members and joiners were asked about their car ownership before and after

joining the car club. As shown in Figure 3.5, 45% of members owned at least one

car before joining, falling to just 20% after joining. Car ownership before joining

was at a similar level for joiners (46% owning at least one car), but car ownership

after joining was higher than amongst members with 31% of joiners owning at least

one car.

FIGURE 3.5 CAR OWNERSHIP BEFORE AND AFTER JOINING A CAR CLUB

45%42%

9%

1% 3%

48%

41%

8%

1% 1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%



2011/12 2012/13

55%

36%

8%

1%

54%

33%

9%

2% 1% 1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0 1 2 3 4 5 or more


Number of cars owned before joining car club

Members Joiners

Results for London

15

Mileage travelled in car club cars

3.7 Car club vehicle mileage travelled by London car club members remains low with

half of all members travelling less than 500 miles in the 12 months prior to

completing the survey (Figure 3.6) This is considerably lower than the national

average car mileage of 8,430 miles as reported in the National Travel Survey.

FIGURE 3.6 ANNUAL MILEAGE DRIVEN USING A CAR CLUB CAR (MEMBERS)

Mileage travelled in household cars

3.8 Members were then asked to state their approximate annual mileage driven in any

household cars in the last 12 months. The results are shown in Figure 3.7. The

chart shows that just under half of the London members did not travel any

distance in household cars in the 12 months prior to taking the survey (over half

did not own a car). 29% travelled less than 5,000 miles and 12% travelled between

5-10,000 miles. Figures for joiners’ mileage in any car are shown in Figure 3.8.

81%

16%

3% 1%

69%

26%

4%1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0 1 2 3 4 5 or more


Number of cars owned after joining car club

Members Joiners

5%

45%

23%

11%

4%2% 2%

0% 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

0

1-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,001-7,000

7,001-8,000

8,001-9,000

9,001-10,000

10,001-11,000

11,001-12,000

12,001-13,000

13,001-14,000

14,001-15,000

15,001-16,000

16,001-17,000

17,001-18,000

18,001-19,000

19,001-20,000

20,001-21,000

21,001-22,000

22,001-23,000

23,001-24,000

24,001-25,000

25,000+

Don't know


Results for London

16

Joiners were more likely to have travelled using a car: only 17% made no journeys

whilst 43% travelled less than 5,000 miles and 16% travelled between 5-10,000

miles. A further 8% of joiners stated “Not applicable” (who we may assume did not

travel any miles by car).

FIGURE 3.7 ANNUAL MILEAGE DRIVEN USING A HOUSEHOLD CAR (MEMBERS)

FIGURE 3.8 ANNUAL MILEAGE DRIVEN IN ANY CAR (JOINERS)

3.9 The 2010 National Travel Survey found that, on average, respondents travelled

8,430 miles per year by car. An average annual mileage travelled by car club

members was calculated using the mid-points of the mileage categories provided

in the questionnaire as shown in Table 3.1. For example, a respondent who stated

that they travel 2,000-3,000 miles a year was assumed to travel 2,500 miles. The

47%

6%4%

5% 5%3%

6%

0%

3% 3% 2%4% 3%

1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%0

1-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,001-7,000

7,001-8,000

8,001-9,000

9,001-10,000

10,001-11,000

11,001-12,000

12,001-13,000

13,001-14,000

14,001-15,000

15,001-16,000

16,001-17,000

17,001-18,000

18,001-19,000

19,001-20,000

20,001-21,000

21,001-22,000

22,001-23,000

23,000-24,000

24,001-25,000

25,000+

Don't know


17%

13%

7% 6%5% 5%

7%

0%

5%3% 3%

5% 5%2%

1% 0% 1%2%

0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%1% 1% 2%

8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

0

1-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,001-7,000

7,001-8,000

8,001-9,000

9,001-10,000

10,001-11,000

11,001-12,000

12,001-13,000

13,001-14,000

14,001-15,000

15,001-16,000

16,001-17,000

17,001-18,000

18,001-19,000

19,001-20,000

20,001-21,000

21,001-22,000

22,001-23,000

23,000-24,000

24,001-25,000

25,000+

Don't know

Not Applicable


Results for London

17

average mileage travelled by car club members, using car club cars and household

cars, is 4,195 miles; 50% lower than the NTS average.

TABLE 3.1 AVERAGE ANNUAL MILEAGE TRAVELLED BY CAR CLUB MEMBERS

Type of travel Average annual car mileage travelled

Car club members using car club car 1,336 miles

Car club members using household car 2,859 miles

Car club member total mileage 4,195 miles

Respondents to National Travel Survey

(2010) – all cars

8,430 miles

Influence of car club membership on car ownership and use

3.10 Members were asked to state whether they had sold or disposed of a car in the 12

months prior to completing the survey and 13% of members stated that they had.

Of these 57% had travelled fewer than 5,000 miles, 23% had travelled 5-10,000

miles, highlighting that car clubs tend to attract those who already use their cars

less.

3.11 Using this finding, it is possible to estimate the impact of car clubs on removing

private cars from circulation. The operator survey (see section 7) provides the

average number of car club members per car club car (48). By applying the

proportion of respondents in London who stated that they had sold or disposed of a

car in the last 12 months to the number of car club members per car, we can

estimate that, for each car club car in operation, approximately 6 private cars are

removed from the road.

3.12 This assumes that the sale of a car by a car club member results in a car

eventually being removed from circulation at the end of the chain. As a result of

the 2,270 car club cars in London we have calculated that there are almost 14,000

fewer private cars on the capital’s roads.

3.13 Those members who had sold or disposed of a car in the last 12 months were asked

to state the extent to which the car club was a reason for this decision. 11% stated

that it was the main reason, 31% stated it was a major factor, 18% a minor factor

and 35% stated that it was not a factor (Figure 3.9).

Calculation of cars removed from the road

48 (members per car club car)

X

13% (proportion of respondents who sold/disposed of car in last 12 months)

= 6.2 cars removed from road by each car club car

Results for London

18

FIGURE 3.9 INFLUENCE OF CAR CLUB MEMBERSHIP ON CAR OWNERSHIP

(MEMBERS)

3.14 Figure 3.10 shows the impact of joining a car club on the annual car driver mileage

travelled by members. 29% of members report a decrease in their annual car driver

mileage compared with 21% of members reporting an increase - a reduction on

2011/12 levels13. 36% state that their annual mileage has not changed. The

average increase in annual mileage is 984 miles whilst the average decrease is

3,033 miles.

FIGURE 3.10 INFLUENCE OF CAR CLUB MEMBERSHIP ON ANNUAL MILEAGE

TRAVELLED

13 Removing “Don’t know” and “No response” figures from the calculation (as per the 2011/2012 report), the

proportion of respondents reporting an increase in mileage is 24%, in comparison to 30% in 2011/12.

Did not sell/dispose of

car87%

Car club was: Main reason 11%

Major factor 31%

Minor factor 18%

Not a factor 35%

Don't know 4%

Sold/Disposed of car13%

6%

8%

29%

36%

21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Increased

No change

Decreased

Don't know

No response

Results for London

19

3.15 Those who stated that their mileage had changed were asked to state how many

miles it had increased or decreased by. 57% of the 470 respondents who stated

that their mileage had increased stated that it had increased by less than 500

miles. Of the 653 respondents who stated a decrease in mileage, only 15% stated

that it was a decrease of less than 500 miles with a greater proportion stating that

the decrease was between 1 and 5,000 miles (41%). In addition, 5% of respondents

stated that the decrease in their annual mileage was more than 10,000 miles

(Figure 3.11).

FIGURE 3.11 CHANGE IN MEMBER MILEAGE

3.16 Respondents were asked to state whether their household would have bought a

private car if they had not joined the car club. The results show that 29% of

respondents (both members and joiners) would have bought a private car if they

had not joined a car club (Figure 3.12). The remaining respondents were split

between those who would not have bought a car (45%) and those who were unsure

(26%). The purchase of up to 31,780 private cars has been deferred as a

consequence of the presence of car club cars (2,270) in the capital.

3.17 Similar to car club members in England and Wales, car club members in London

view car club membership as an addition to their mobility options, rather than a

direct replacement for car ownership.

4%

57%

17%

9%

4%1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 1%

5%2%

6%

15%17%

13%11%

7%10%

3% 2% 3% 3%5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

No change

1-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

6,001-7,000

7,001-8,000

8,001-9,000

9,001-10,000

More than 10,000

Don't know

Not Applicable


Mileage

Increased Decreased

Results for London

20

FIGURE 3.12 INFLUENCE OF CAR CLUB MEMBERSHIP ON CAR PURCHASE

3.18 Respondents were asked to state whether joining a car club had made it more or

less likely that their household will buy a car in the next few years. The results

show that the majority of members and joiners (66%) deem it less likely that they

will buy a private car in the next few years now that they are car club members

(Figure 3.13). 23% stated that it has had no effect on their future purchasing

decisions.

FIGURE 3.13 LIKELIHOOD OF PURCHASING A CAR IN FUTURE

Travel behaviour

3.19 All respondents were asked to state how often they travel by different modes of

transport (bus, coach, underground / metro / tram, train, private car, car club

car, car as passenger, taxi/minicab, bicycle and walking).

26%

45%

29%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Yes, wouldhavepurchaseda car

No, wouldnot havepurchaseda car

Don't know

4%

23%

66%

7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


More likely

Less likely

No effect

Don't know

Results for London

21

3.20 Car club members in London frequently walk for 20 minutes or more: 57% stated

that they make such journeys 3 or more times a week and 25% at least once a

week as shown in Figure 3.14.

3.21 Car club members in London make frequent use of public transport:

I 50% travel by bus more than 3 times a week

I 58% travel by Underground / tram more than 3 times a week

I 23% travel by train more than 3 times a week.

3.22 Over a third of London car club members are regular cyclists (33% cycling at least

once a week).

FIGURE 3.14 FREQUENCY OF USE OF OTHER MODES (MEMBERS)

3.23 Table 3.2 compares travel behaviour by car club members with the general London

population, using information from the London Travel Demand Survey and National

Travel Survey14. The table shows that more car club members and joiners use

sustainable travel modes at least once a week compared to the general population

surveyed in the London Travel Demand Survey15.

14 Department for Transport (2011) National Travel Survey Tables NTS0312 and NTS0313. Last accessed online 4th

June 2013 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts03-modal-comparisons

15 London Travel Demand Survey 2009/10, Transport for London

57%

50%

58%

23%

9%

5%

5%

24%

25%

21%

20%

15%

6%

9%

9%

11%

9%

12%

19%

16%

35%

9%

44%

36%

37%

10%

5%

19%

17%

16%

37%

24%

29%

10%

76%

9%

59%

7%

23%

17%

46%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Walking

Bus

Coach

Underground

Train

Car driver (private car)

Car driver (club car)

Car passenger(private or club car)

Taxi

Bicycle


3 + a week 1-2 a week At least once a month At least once a year No trips Don't know

Results for London

22

TABLE 3.2 COMPARING MEMBER TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR WITH GENERAL

POPULATION

Mode Car club

members

Car club

joiners

National Travel

Survey

London

Travel

Demand

Survey

% of respondents using mode at least once a week

Bicycle 33% 27% 15% 13%

Taxi 16% 19% 8% 4%

Train 38% 44% 7% 16%

Underground 78% 77% N/A 35%

Coach 1% 2% 1% -

Bus 71% 72% 29% 61%

Walking* 82% 80% 64% 95%*

*The NTS asks respondents to state how often they walk for 20 minutes or more. The

LTDS does not specifically ask this question.

3.24 Joiners were asked to state how often they used each of the modes in Table 3.2

before and after they joined the car club, in order to identify whether joining a

car club had an immediate impact on travel behaviour (Figure 3.15). The charts

show that the most significant changes were:

I A reduction in the frequency of trips made using private cars: 34% of joiners

stated that they travelled by car as driver at least once a week before joining

the car club, which fell to 24% after joining.

I There was little change in frequency of cycling (which remained high) and only

a small increase in walking frequency.

Results for London

23

FIGURE 3.15 FREQUENCY OF USE OF OTHER MODES BEFORE & AFTER JOINING

8% 7%4% 4%

16% 17%

21% 24%

50% 48%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Bus

3 or moretimes a week

1-2 times aweek

At least oncea month

At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know 3% 3%

68% 70%

19% 22%

6% 4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Coach


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know

3% 2%4% 4%

16% 17%

22% 22%

53% 55%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Underground


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know10% 10%

17% 19%

25% 27%

15% 14%

32% 30%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Train


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

Don't know

No trips made

2%

39%48%

11%

14%15%

14%12%

11%22%

13%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Car driver -private car


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know 3% 2%

64%

14%

12%

21%

15%

45%

4%14%

3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Car driver -club car


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know

2% 2%

25% 24%

19% 17%

33% 36%

12% 13%

10% 8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Car passenger -private or club car


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know 2% 2%

22% 20%

21% 23%

36% 36%

12% 13%

9% 6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Taxi


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know

2%

53% 53%

9% 9%

10% 10%

5% 6%

20% 20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Bicycle


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know 9% 7%

2% 2%

10% 10%

21% 23%

56% 57%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Walking


1-2 times aweek


At least oncea year

No trips made

Don't know

Results for London

24

Reasons for joining a car club

3.25 Two additional questions were included in the 2012 survey which aimed to

understand members’ motivations for joining a car club and their personal

circumstances at the time.

3.26 Figure 3.16 shows that the most popular reason stated by respondents was hiring

on a short term basis (78% of members and 79% of joiners) followed by the ability

to make trips that cannot be made using other modes (62% of members and 59% of

joiners). Almost 1 in 4 individuals joined a car club because it was recommended

to them, highlighting the importance of word-of-mouth and the need for car clubs

to maintain a good reputation.

FIGURE 3.16 REASONS FOR JOINING A CAR CLUB

3.27 Figure 3.17 shows that approximately a third of members and joiners had moved to

a new area, while 13% had changed jobs or retired at the time of joining a car

club. This appears to suggest that car clubs may be most appropriately marketed

to potential members at particular ‘life events’, times in life when a change in

personal circumstances may require review of personal travel options, most likely

in conjunction with reviewing other lifestyle choices.

3%

8%

14%

24%

10%

21%

23%

59%

79%

2%

13%

13%

14%

16%

26%

31%

62%

78%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

None of the above

Parking problems

Had to sell/dispose of car

Recommended to me

Reduce car use

Reduce amount spent on travel

Be environmentally friendly

To make trips I can't by other modes

Hire on short term basis


Members

Joiners

Results for London

25

FIGURE 3.17 CHANGES IN PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES AT TIME OF JOINING

53%

1%

1%

1%

6%

10%

13%

31%

55%

1%

1%

1%

7%

9%

13%

30%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

None of the above

Children started at new school

Left home for first time

Children left home

Change in financial circumstance

Change in family circumstance

Changed jobs/retired

Moved to new area


Members

Joiners

Results for London

27

4 Results of the peer-to-peer member survey

What is a peer to peer car club?

4.1 In relation to car clubs, the term peer to peer refers to the ability of car owners to

rent out their personal vehicle for money when they are not using it. As a business

model, it is closely aligned to traditional ‘back-to-base’ car clubs. However, in

contrast to back-to-base car clubs, the peer to peer vehicle fleet is ‘virtual’ i.e. it

fluctuates according to the number of participating car owners.

4.2 Benefits of peer to peer rental in comparison to back-to-base car hire can include:

I Reduced rental costs;

I Increased choice of models available for rent; and

I Increased proximity of pick-up point to renters’ homes.

4.3 At the time of the survey, Whipcar was the primary operator of peer to peer car

sharing in Great Britain. However, on 12th March 2013, prior to the publication of

this survey, Whipcar closed its operations.

Survey results

4.4 The 2012 peer-to-peer operator survey was issued to Whipcar members only16.

These members consisted of a mix of those that rented out their vehicle and those

that rented vehicles from other members. 276 members responded and the results

are reported below. Although comparisons are provided with the results of similar

questions from the London member surveys, it should be noted that the Whipcar

survey was open to all its members, most of whom were based in London.

Location of members

4.5 The majority of respondents (99%) live in England with 75% residing in London

where Whipcar’s activities were concentrated and most strongly marketed (Figure

4.1).

16 These members consisted of a mix of those that rented out their vehicle and those that rented vehicles from

other members.

Results for London

28

FIGURE 4.1 LOCATION OF MEMBERS

4.6 As shown in Figure 4.2, the greatest number of respondents (48%) are aged 25-34

years. The second largest age bracket is 35-44 years (24%).

FIGURE 4.2 AGE OF WHIPCAR RESPONDENTS

4.7 The majority of respondents (68%) joined Whipcar in 2012.

4.8 Members were asked how many times they had rented a car from Whipcar. The

greatest number of respondents (38%) have rented once. The second largest

proportion have never rented a Whipcar vehicle (22%) (Figure 4.3). It is likely that

some of these members joined Whipcar in order to rent out their own vehicle,

rather than rent cars from other members. The majority of members, however, do

not own their own vehicle (Figure 4.6).

London, 75%

England, 24%

Scotland, 1%

Wales, 0.4%

11%

48%

24%

10%7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Under 25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55 or older


Results for London

29

FIGURE 4.3 NUMBER OF RENTALS

Member satisfaction

4.9 75% of members describe the service they receive from Whipcar as “Good” or

“Very Good”. Just, 5% of members describe Whipcar’s service as “Poor” or “Very

Poor” (Figure 4.4).

FIGURE 4.4 SATISFACTION WITH WHIPCAR’S SERVICE

Car ownership

4.10 As shown in Figure 4.5, the majority of respondents (58%) did not own a car prior

to joining Whipcar, which suggests that many members use the car club cars as

substitutes for privately owned vehicles. Comparing Figure 4.5 with Figure 4.6,

which details the number of cars owned by respondents at the time of the survey,

it can be seen that the proportion of people owning 1 or 2 cars has decreased

(from 38% to 25%) whilst the proportion of people without a car has increased

(from 58% to 69%).

22%

38%

16%

11%

6%7%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

0 1 2 3 4 5 or more


46%

29%

9%

3%2%

11%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Very Good Good Average Poor Very Poor NotApplicable


Results for London

30

FIGURE 4.5 NUMBER OF CARS OWNED PRIOR TO JOINING WHIPCAR

FIGURE 4.6 NUMBERS OF CARS OWNED AT TIME OF SURVEY

Cars sold and their usage

4.11 Respondents were asked whether they had sold or otherwise disposed of a car

during the 12 months prior to completing the survey. 78% said that they had not

(Figure 4.7). The 20% of respondents (54 in total) who had sold their car were also

asked whether being a member of Whipcar had an effect on their decision (Figure

4.7). The majority (65% - 35 respondents) stated that joining Whipcar had no

effect on their decision.

4.12 Of the 54 respondents who had sold a car within the last 12 months, 19 had not

driven it in the last year and all others had driven less than 5,000 miles (35%). Lack

of use could have been a decisive factor in these respondents’ decision to

sell/dispose of their car.

58%

26%

12%

3%0% 1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

0 1 2 3 4 5 or more


69%

18%

7%3%

0.4% 0.4%3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

0 1 2 3 4 5 or more Noresponse


Results for London

31

FIGURE 4.7 CAR SOLD OR DISPOSED AND EFFECT OF WHIPCAR

Household mileage

4.13 Respondents were asked how far they or their household have driven during the

last year in both a Whipcar (Figure 4.8) and any other car (Figure 4.9). The

majority of respondents (26%) had not driven anywhere in a Whipcar in the last

year, which corresponds with the high proportion of individuals who had not yet

rented a Whipcar. Figure 4.8 shows a negative trend in proportion of respondents

by miles travelled i.e. the majority of users did not drive many miles in a Whipcar

vehicle over the course of a year.

No78%

No response2%

Major factor 4%

Minor factor 24%

No effect 65%

Don't know 7%

Yes20%

Results for London

32

FIGURE 4.8 MILEAGE DURING THE LAST YEAR - WHIPCAR

4.14 Respondents were then asked how many miles they had driven in private vehicles

in the 12 months prior to the survey. As Figure 4.9 shows, 33% of respondents had

not driven a private vehicle within the last year. The second largest group of

respondents (17%) drove approximately 501-1000 miles in a private vehicle within

the last year, representing a much lower annual mileage than the national average

of 8,430 miles for car drivers.

FIGURE 4.9 MILEAGE DURING THE LAST YEAR – ANY CAR

4.15 Figure 4.10 shows that the majority of respondents (68%) stated that their

household annual mileage had not changed since joining Whipcar. No respondents

stated that their annual mileage has decreased whilst 29% stated that it had

increased. It is possible that peer-to-peer car clubs increase car mileage

consumption by making car travel available to people who previously did not travel

by car, though, as noted above, users are generally low mileage drivers.

3%

0.4%

1%

1%

0%

0.4%

1%

12%

16%

18%

21%

26%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

No response

6000+

5001-6000

4001-5000

3001-4000

2001-3000

1001-2000

501-1000

251-500

101-250

1-100

0


3%

0%

0%

3%

1%

5%

10%

17%

12%

8%

8%

33%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

No response

6000+

5001-6000

4001-5000

3001-4000

2001-3000

1001-2000

501-1000

251-500

101-250

1-100

0


Results for London

33

FIGURE 4.10 CHANGE IN HOUSEHOLD ANNUAL MILEAGE SINCE JOINING

WHIPCAR

Retrospective and future car ownership

4.16 13% of respondents stated that they would have purchased a car if they had not

joined Whipcar (see Figure 4.11).

FIGURE 4.11 PROPENSITY FOR HOUSEHOLD TO BUY A PRIVATE CAR

4.17 Respondents were asked whether joining Whipcar had made it more or less likely

that their household will buy a car (or another car) in the next few years. As Figure

4.12 shows, 47% felt that joining Whipcar had made it less likely that they will

purchase a car in the next few years. 9% stated it had made it more likely whilst

32% considered that it had no effect.

0%

68%

29%

3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Decreased No change Increased No response


No65%

Yes13%

Don't know 19%

No response 3%

Results for London

34

FIGURE 4.12 LIKELIHOOD THAT HOUSEHOLD WILL BUY A CAR IN THE NEXT FEW

YEARS

Transport mode preferences

4.18 Respondents were asked to state how often they made trips by the transport

modes listed in Figure 4.13. They key results were as follows:

� 50% walked (for 20 minutes or more without stopping) 3 or more times per

week;

� 33% travel by bicycle at least once a week;

� 63% used the bus more than once a week;

� 24% made a trip by coach at least once per year;

� 60% used the underground/metro/tram at least once a week (highlighting

the high proportion of London-based respondents in the sample);

� 65% used the train at least once per month;

� 38% made no trips by private car over the course of a year;

� 30% used a car club at least once per year;

� 30% travelled as a car passenger at least once per month; and

� 35% used a taxi at least once per month.

47%

9%

32%

7% 6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Less likely More likely No effect Don't know No response


Results for London

35

FIGURE 4.13 FREQUENCY OF USE OF OTHER MODES

Why Whipcar?

4.19 Respondents were asked why they chose to join Whipcar. Respondents could

choose as many options as they wished. The majority (83%) stated that it was so

they could hire cars on a short term basis. Other popular answers include making

trips that they are unable to do by other modes (51%) and instead of

purchasing/replacing a car (24%) (Figure 4.14).

11% 11% 8%14%

10% 11% 12% 12% 13% 12%

3%2%

2% 4% 3%4%

36%

8%

54%

6% 7%

38%32%

21%

14%

9%

7%

24%

7%

16%

14%30%

17%

27%

13%

9%

14%

5%

16%

26%

10%

16%

30%35%

20%

7%

21% 17%

18%

8%

4%

9%

9%

50%

26%

42% 43%

21%16%

2%6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Walking Bicycle Bus Coach Underground/ Metro /Tram

Train Private Car Car Club CarPassenger

Taxi


3 + per week

1-2 per week

At least once per month

At least once per year

No trips made

Don't know

No response

Results for London

36

FIGURE 4.14 REASON FOR JOINING WHIPCAR

4.20 10% of respondents answered, “Other”. These individuals were asked to provide

more details. Stated reasons for choosing Whipcar included:

� It is a cheaper alternative to more conventional car clubs;

� It is more convenient as cars can be hired locally;

� There is less paperwork involved than with conventional car clubs;

� To experience driving different makes and models of car;

� It allows me to hire a bigger vehicle (7-seater/MPV); and

� To support local residents and the wider community rather than rental

companies.

Recent member experiences

4.21 Respondents were asked whether they had experienced any of the life-events

listed in Figure 4.15 at the time of joining Whipcar. The majority (61%) had not

experienced any significant changes in their lives. However, 25% had moved to a

new area, 14% had changed job or retired and 7% had faced a change in financial

circumstances. Respondents could choose as many options as they wished, so some

may have had more than one life-event at the time of joining. Overall, 61% stated

that had not experienced any of the listed events below.

3%

5%

8%

10%

15%

19%

19%

24%

51%

83%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

None of the above

Problems parking locally

Reduce car use

Other

Recommended to me

Be environmentally friendly

Reduce time spent on travel

Instead ofpurchasing/replacing a car

To make trips I cannot do byother modes

Hire on a short term basis


Results for London

37

FIGURE 4.15 SIGNIFICANT LIFE-EVENTS AT THE TIME OF JOINING WHIPCAR

0%

0.4%

1%

5%

7%

14%

25%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

My children started at a newschool

I left home for the first time

My children left home

I had a change in familycircumstances

I had a change in financialcircumstances

I changed jobs/retired

I moved to a new area


Results for London

39

5 Results of the corporate member survey

Introduction

5.1 The corporate member survey was completed by 754 respondents who are

members of a car club through their employer. Often the membership is paid for

by the employer and the car club cars are used as pool cars for work-related

journeys during the working day. As such, they are a different user group from

individual, private members so a new, bespoke survey was issued to these

members (although some respondents may also hold an individual, private

membership). Car club operators were responsible for identifying corporate

members and ensuring the survey was sent to the appropriate respondents.

5.2 Corporate membership is not available to all members (it is only offered by

operators in certain locations) and is provided to members, and usually paid for,

by their employer. Adoption of sustainable travel policies may have an influence

on take-up of corporate car club membership. The survey is therefore not

representative of all businesses, only those who are corporate car club members.

5.3 This section contains the results of the corporate member survey for the whole of

the Great Britain sample including England and Wales, Scotland and London17.

Satisfaction with car clubs

5.4 Business users were asked to state their overall satisfaction with the level of

service provided by their car club operator. The majority of users state high levels

of satisfaction with 91% rating their car club’s service as “Good” or “Very Good”

(Figure 5.1). Just 8% rate the service they have received as “Average” or “Poor”.

5.5 With 91% of business users stating that their car club service is “Good” or “Very

Good”, satisfaction is similar to individual members in London (88%).

17 The results have not been disaggregated as the sample size for the survey is not sufficient to enable conclusive

analysis on a regional basis.

Results for London

40

FIGURE 5.1 SATISFACTION WITH CAR CLUBS

5.6 Figure 5.2 shows that the majority of respondents (51%) use a car club car at least

once a month.

FIGURE 5.2 FREQUENCY OF CAR CLUB USE

5.7 To identify any changes made to travel behaviour as a consequence of joining a car

a club, respondents were asked what mode of transport they primarily used for

work-related trips before and after gaining membership. Figure 5.3 shows a large

increase in respondents’ car club use after joining a club and a corresponding

reduction in the proportion of those using their own car for work-related trips

(from 46% to 7%). In addition, a smaller proportion of respondents use pool cars or

50%

41%

7%

1%0.1% 0.3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Very good Good Average Poor Very poor No response

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f re

spo

nd

en

ts

0.3%

26%

22%

30%

21%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

No response

Less than once every two

months but at least once per year

Less than once a month but at

least once every two months

Once a month or more

Once a week or more


Results for London

41

traditional car rentals after joining their car club. The proportion of respondents

using public transport and taxis both decreased by 5 percentage points, walking

increases by 1 percentage point and cycling remains the same at 3%.

FIGURE 5.3 MODES USED FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL BEFORE AND AFTER JOINING

A CAR CLUB

5.8 Although public transport use by corporate members for business travel appears to

decrease after joining a car club, corporate car club membership facilitates the

use of public transport for the commute to work by removing the need for an

employee to bring his/her car to work in order to use it during the working day. As

shown in Figure 5.4, 16% of respondents stated that they travel to work by car less

often – many of these journeys are likely to be public transport journeys.

5.9 Figure 5.4 also shows the most common change is travelling to work less often

(chosen by 16% of respondents), and using a car club car for non-work-related

journeys (15%). 12% of respondents state that they make more work-related trips

as a result of joining the car club, compared to 5% who make fewer trips. For most

respondents (56%), there is no impact on travel behaviour.

46%

7%

3%

2%

13%

4%

66%

5%

1%20%

15%1%

2%

3%

3%

6%

1%4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Before After

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f re

spo

nd

en

ts

Other

Taxi

Cycle

Walk

Public transport

Traditional car rental

Used a car club car

Used a pool car owned

by my employer

Used a company car

Used my own car

Results for London

42

FIGURE 5.4 INFLUENCE OF CAR CLUB MEMBERSHIP ON TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR

5.10 Corporate members were asked which type of car club vehicle they use most

often: car or van. Table 5.1 shows that 94% of respondents use a car more often

than a van.

TABLE 5.1 USE OF CARS AND VANS

Vehicle Type Proportion of respondents

Car 94%

Van 6%

5.11 Finally, respondents were asked whether their organisation had made any changes

to its business travel arrangements or policies since joining the car club. The most

common change was discouraging employees from using their own cars to make

work-related trips (16%) closely followed by car pool cars being replaced with car

club cars (14%) (Figure 5.5). Many respondents either did not know about any

changes (25%) or stated that no changes had been made to their business’s travel

policy (23%).

5%

7%

12%

15%

16%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18%

I make fewer work-related trips

I have sold or disposed of my car

I make more work-related trips

I now use a club car for private (non-work-

related) trips

I travel to work by car less often


Results for London

43

FIGURE 5.5 INFLUENCE OF CAR CLUB MEMBERSHIP ON BUSINESS TRAVEL

ARRANGEMENTS

23%

25%

3%

4%

4%

10%

14%

16%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

No changes to travel policies

Don't know

The number of company

cars has been reduced

Car mileage allowance

rates have been reduced

Other changes made to

travel policies

No response

Pool cars have been replaced

by car club cars

Employees are actively

discouraged from using their own cars


Results for London

45

6 Results of the corporate administrator survey

Introduction

6.1 In addition to understanding the views of corporate members, a survey of

employees who are responsible for administering their organisation’s corporate

membership was also issued. The survey aimed to find out more about how and

why corporate members use car clubs, the perceived benefits of membership and

how membership is related to other travel policies at the organisation.

6.2 The corporate administrators survey was completed by administrators from 159

organisations across Great Britain (England and Wales, Scotland and London). This

section contains the results of the survey for the whole Great Britain sample18.

Organisation sector, size and car club membership

6.3 Administrators were asked which sector their organisation is in: public, private or

third sector (e.g. charities and voluntary organisations), how many staff are

employed there and how many staff have joined the corporate car club. Results

are shown in Figure 6.1, Figure 6.2 and Figure 6.3.

6.4 The majority of organisations (76%) that responded to the survey were in the

private sector and most (70%) employ fewer than 10 individuals. 86% have fewer

than 10 employees signed up to the company’s corporate car club.

FIGURE 6.1 ORGANISATION SECTOR

18 The results have not been disaggregated as the sample size for the survey is not sufficient to enable conclusive

analysis on a regional basis.

76%

13%

11%

Private sector

Public sector

Third sector

Results for London

46

FIGURE 6.2 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN ORGANISATION

FIGURE 6.3 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN CAR CLUB

Administrator satisfaction

6.5 Administrators were asked to state their overall satisfaction with the service

provided by their car club operator. The majority of administrators stated high

levels of satisfaction with 82% rating their car club’s service as “Good” or “Very

Good” (Figure 6.4). Just 2% rate their car club’s service as “Average” or “Poor”.

70%

18%

4%

1%

6%

1%

0%

0%

1%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

less than 10

10-30

31-70

71-100

101-500

501-750

751-1000

1001-1500

1,501-2,000


Number of employees

86%

5%

3%

2%

4%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

less than 10

10-30

31-70

71-100

101-500


Number of employees in car club

Results for London

47

FIGURE 6.4 SATISFACTION WITH CAR CLUB SERVICE

Perceived benefits

6.6 Respondents were asked to choose perceived benefits of joining a car club from

the options shown in Figure 6.5. They could choose as many benefits as they

wished. The most popular benefit selected was financial savings (chosen by 29%)

followed by reduced administration (19%) and increased employee satisfaction

(15%).

6.7 Financial savings may come in various forms. There are likely to be productivity

gains from corporate car club membership, particularly through the ability of

employees to make multi-destination trips by car club cars as part of the working

day. Such trips are often difficult by public transport, particularly outside of

London. Further financial benefits may be derived from reduced administration of

employee mileage claims and provision of on-site parking to accommodate

employees own cars for business travel use.

6.8 Only 13% of respondents highlighted reduced CO2 emissions arising from corporate

car club membership, perhaps highlighting that financial motivations are stronger

than environmental ones for administrators of corporate car club accounts. The

environmental benefits of car clubs to an organisation include the following:

I Car club fleets are, on the whole, comprised of modern, efficient and

frequently maintained vehicles (see section 7). A “grey fleet” of employees’

own cars is also likely to contain a variety of vehicles of varying fuel efficiency

and safety.

I Corporate members are able to obtain full details of the efficiency of the

vehicles provided by the car club. In contrast, employers who rely on the use of

employees’ own vehicles for business travel are unlikely to have access to such

information about the nature of the grey fleet.

47%

35%

1% 1%

16%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Very good Good Average Poor No response


Results for London

48

FIGURE 6.5 PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF JOINING A CAR CLUB

Business mileage travelled using car club cars

6.9 Respondents were asked to estimate the proportion of car mileage travelled by

their organisation using car club cars for work-related journeys. As discussed later,

53% of the respondents stated that their organisation did not collect information

about mileage travelled using car club cars on business travel so many respondents

would have been estimating their response, rather than providing accurate figures

from company records.

6.10 23% of respondents stated that their organisation uses car club cars for over half of

their business mileage. Half of the respondents indicated that less than 10% of

their business mileage is undertaken using car club cars (Figure 6.6). As most

respondents stated that a small proportion of their business mileage was travelled

in car club cars, this highlights the role of a corporate car club as a complement to

other modes, rather than a single solution to an employer’s travel needs. The

survey did not ask for the proportion of business mileage travelled using other

modes or other car travel options such as pool cars.

4%

9%

11%

13%

15%

19%

29%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

None of the Above

Reduced Business Mileage

Reduced Parking Needed

Reduced CO2 Emissions

Employee Satisfaction

Reduced Admin

Financial Savings


Results for London

49

FIGURE 6.6 PROPORTION OF BUSINESS MILEAGE TRAVELLED USING CAR CLUB

CARS

Data collected by organisation

6.11 Respondents were asked whether their organisation collected data on staff travel

(for business journeys, for example through a staff travel survey). Just 16% said

that they do, with the majority of respondents (65%) stating that they do not. The

rest were unsure (4%) or did not answer the question (16%). However, as noted

above, many of the responding organisations employed fewer than 10 staff: such

organisations may not have the need or resource to conduct travel surveys and are

less likely to prioritise this type of data collection.

6.12 Respondents were also asked whether their organisation collected information

about car mileage travelled by employees on work-related trips (Figure 6.7). The

majority of organisations (53%) do not collect data on work-related car mileage.

However, some organisations collect data for work-related miles completed in a

car club car (21%), a grey fleet vehicle (15%) or a pool car (3%).

50%

11%

8%

4%

4%

7%

3%

4%

9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

less than 10%

11-20%

21-30%

31-40%

41-50%

51-60%

61-70%

71-80%

81-90%


Results for London

50

FIGURE 6.7 MILEAGE INFORMATION COLLECTED

Travel Plans and policies

6.13 Figure 6.8 shows responses to two questions:

i) Does your organisation have a Travel Plan (sometimes known as a Transport

Strategy / Green Transport Plan)?; and

ii) Does your organisation have a travel policy for work-related travel during

the working day?

6.14 A higher proportion of respondents stated that their organisation has a travel

policy (25%) than a Travel Plan (17%), though most had neither. The predominance

of smaller employers in the sample is, again, likely to explain this result.

FIGURE 6.8 TRAVEL PLANS AND POLICIES

9%

53%

3%

15%

21%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Don't know

None of these

Pool car(owned by your organisation)

Grey fleet (employees’ own cars)

Car club car


Mileage information collected

16% 16%

3% 4%

17%25%

64%55%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Travel Plan Travel Policy


No

Yes

Don't know

No response

Results for London

51

Travel policy details

6.15 The respondents (25% of total) who stated that their organisation has a travel

policy for work-related travel were asked to answer the questions in Table 6.1.

6.16 As shown, the majority of travel policies (22) prioritise travel by sustainable modes

for any trip. Only 9 policies require employees to use a car club car to make work-

related car trips for any trip but 21 have this requirement for some trips (the

survey did not ask how this is managed). Only four respondents stated that

employees are not permitted to use their own vehicles for work-related trips and

only four respondents stated that their policy prevents employees from claiming a

private vehicle mileage allowance. 16 organisations did restrict claims for some

trips.

TABLE 6.1 TRAVEL POLICY MEASURES

Travel Policy Question Yes, for any

trip

Yes, but only

for some trips No

Does the travel policy prioritise travel

by public transport, walking and cycling

for work-related trips?

22 17 4

Does the travel policy require

employees to use a car club car if

making work-related car trips?

9 21 11

Are employees permitted to use their

own vehicle for work-related travel

during the working day?

14 23 4

Are employees permitted to claim a

private vehicle mileage allowance for

work-related travel?

21 16 4

Changes to travel policies

6.17 Administrators were asked whether their organisation had made any changes to its

business travel arrangements or policies since joining a car club. Figure 6.9 shows

that 46% of organisations made no changes to their travel policy. The most

common change involved organisations actively discouraging employees from using

their own cars to travel (13%).

Results for London

52

FIGURE 6.9 CHANGES TO TRAVEL POLICIES SINCE JOINING THE CAR CLUB

6.18 The 7% of respondents who stated that there were other changes to travel their

travel policies were asked to provide more detail in a free text box. The responses

included:

� “Employees take fewer taxis”;

� “We use fewer full day hire cars”;

� “Bicycles are encouraged”;

� “We have reduced on-site parking”;

� “Staff are encouraged to use a specific car club”; and

� “Long distance travel must be booked through travel hubs (booking

centres)”.

Travel options and provisions

6.19 The survey included a question about other travel options provided in addition to

car club membership. Respondents could choose as many of the options shown in

Figure 6.10 as they liked. The chart shows that the most popular provision when

making work-related trips was a pre-paid public transport ticket (chosen by 61% of

respondents) followed by pool cars (28%) and pool bikes (23%). It should be noted

that 48 respondents (30%) did not answer this question which may suggest that

their organisations provide no work-related travel options for their employees.

16%

1%

5%

6%

6%

7%

13%

46%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

No response

Car mileage allowance rates have been reduced

The number of company cars has been reduced

Pool cars have been replaced by car club cars

Don't know

Other changes to travel policies

Employees are actively discouraged from using theirown cars



Results for London

53

FIGURE 6.10 TRAVEL OPTIONS

30%

4%

14%

20%

23%

28%

61%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

No response

Salary Sacrifice Cars

Company Cars

Leased Cars

Pool Bikes

Pool Cars

Pre-Paid Public Transport Ticket


Results for London

55

7 Results of the operator survey and emissions

analysis and profiling

Operator Survey

Introduction

7.1 This section contains the information provided by car club operators about their

service. Each car club operator provided details of their vehicle fleet, membership

numbers and characteristics of members and data regarding use of car clubs by

their members such as mileage travelled. The data collected was on a GB wide

basis (i.e. for England, Wales, Scotland and London) and was mainly the same as

for previous operator surveys19. Fourteen car clubs provided data, including the

larger commercial car club operators and a number of not-for-profit community

car clubs.

7.2 This year, more detailed analysis of car club vehicle emissions has been

undertaken and is reported in this chapter.

Characteristics of car club members

7.3 Operators were asked to state how many of their members live in London, England

and Wales (excluding London), and Scotland. As shown in Table 7.1, the majority

of car club members in Great Britain live in London (84%) which is the primary

market for car clubs.

TABLE 7.1 MEMBERS BY LOCATION

Region Proportion

London 84%

England and Wales 12%

Scotland 4%

7.4 Of all the operators’ members, 82% have individual membership whilst 18% hold

corporate membership.

7.5 Operators were asked to provide information on the gender split of their car club

members. In 2012, 61% of car club members were male and 32% were female. This

compares with a split of 54% male and 46% female amongst national licence

holders in 201220. The proportion of members whose gender was not recorded by

19 Questions requesting data on NOx and PM10 emissions of car club fleets were omitted from this year’s operator

survey owing to difficulties in supplying this data accurately in previous surveys. Instead this data was obtained

through the new emissions analysis and profiling process reported later in this section.

20 FOIR 3008 Annex A - Full and Provisional Category B licence holders in Great Britain, www.dft.gov.uk

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the operator increased from 2% in 2011 to 7% in 201221 but there appears to be

little change in the gender split since 2010 (Figure 7.1).

FIGURE 7.1 GENDER PROFILE OF MEMBERS (2010-2012)

7.6 In addition to gender, operators were asked to provide information about the age

split of car club members. Figure 7.2 shows the high proportion of members aged

25-44. This trend has remained relatively consistent since 2010 when operators

were first asked to gather data on members’ age. In contrast to national licence

holders, there are notably fewer car club members aged 50+ years old, showing

that the market for car clubs is predominantly in the 24-44 year old age group.

Also, younger age groups may be more likely to adopt new technologies such as the

personal mobile devices which are frequently used to book car club cars.

21 One operator who participated in the survey did not collect data on the gender of their members.

69% 67%61%

54%

31% 31%32% 46%

2%7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2010 2011 2012 Nationallicenceholders

Unknown

Female

Male

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FIGURE 7.2 AGE PROFILE OF MEMBERS (2010-2012)

How car clubs are used

7.7 In order to understand how many members were actively using their car club

membership, operators were asked to state how many of their registered members

had hired a vehicle in the 12 months period from 1st December 2011 to 30th

November 2012. On this basis, 80% of car club members can be classified as active.

7.8 Each operator provided the mean average distance travelled per hire (in miles),

the average length of hire period (in hours) and the average number of hires per

member per year (for those who have hired a car in the last 12 months).

7.9 Table 7.2 provides weighted data on typical use of car club vehicles by members.

The average number of hires per active member has increased since 2011, from

6.7 hires to 8.2 hires, whilst the average duration of hire has remained stable at

6.7 hours (6.8 hours in 2011). Average distance per hire shows a slight increase on

2011, up from 34.5 miles to 37.8 miles. The average annual mileage per member

has increased since 2011, from 237 miles to 305 miles, though this still represents

very low vehicle mileage compared to the general population.

2% 1% 3%

6% 6%6%

5%

19%16% 18%

7%

23%

22% 24%

8%

28%

29%30%

20%

8%9%

9%

11%

4%6%

6%

10%

3% 4%4%

9%

3% 4%4%

27%

3% 3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2010 2011 2012 Nationallicenceholders

None recorded

60+

55-59

50-54

45-49

35-44

30-34

25-29

21-24

Under 21

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TABLE 7.2 VEHICLE USAGE

Measure Average

Average distance per hire 37.8 miles

Average number of hires per active

member per year 8.2 hires

Average duration of hire 6.7 hours

Implied miles per member per year 305 miles

7.10 Operators also provided information on the distribution of hires and miles travelled

per hire. As shown in Figure 7.3, the majority of members use car club vehicles

less than once a month (84%).

FIGURE 7.3 NUMBER OF HIRES PER MEMBER PER YEAR

7.11 Figure 7.4 shows that the majority of trips (66%) made in car club vehicles were

less than 25 miles in distance, with 34% of trips over 25 miles.

22%

49%

13%

6%3%

2%4%

1% 0.4%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

None 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-50 51-100 100+

Number of hires

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FIGURE 7.4 MILES TRAVELLED PER HIRE

Emissions Analysis and Profiling

Introduction

7.12 The following section reports on the emissions profiles of the four national car club

operators with vehicles in London. It is the first comprehensive set of emissions

data that has been collected about car clubs in Great Britain. In a development

from previous years, this year’s data has been independently verified by Gfleet

Services Ltd using vehicle registration marks (VRM) and published datasets from

DVLA (Driver and Licensing Vehicle Agency), VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency)

and vehicle manufacturers which enables the production of fuller and more

accurate profiling (including nitrogen oxides and particulates).

7.13 All car club operators were requested to provide the vehicle registration marks of

the vehicles available to members on 1st April 2013. All five of the national car

club operators supplied this data together with seven community car club

schemes. The VRM data was then submitted to CarweB and a full performance and

environmental data set was obtained for each vehicle based on data supplied by

the DVLA, VCA and the manufacturer. Where the air quality emission data

(Nitrogen oxides, NOX and Particulates, PM10) was not available from CarweB the

data was obtained from the published emission figures for the year and model of

vehicle. In a few cases (less than 10) no data was available and so the maximum

permitted emissions for the relevant Euro standard were used. The data

presented in the following section relates to the fleets of the four British national

operators with vehicles in London.

7.14 All data is anonymous to protect the confidentiality of car club operators.

7.15 A summary table of the emissions data for the car club fleets in all 3 reporting

regions of the Carplus Annual Survey (England and Wales (excluding London),

Scotland and London) appears in Appendix B.

14%

20%

15%

10%

7%

16%

10% 9%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-50 51-100 101+

Mileage bands

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Carbon Emissions Profile - Cars

7.16 When a car is registered with the DVLA its carbon emissions measured in grams of

carbon dioxide per kilometre (gCO2/km or g/km) must be submitted. The data is

supplied by the manufacturer and may vary within a model range depending on the

additional equipment fitted such as air conditioning. Since 2001 the carbon

emission data has been used to determine the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED – the tax

disk) payable on a car. For that purpose the emissions have been broken down

into 13 bands from Band A (<= 100 g/km) to Band M (over 255 g/km). No tax is

currently payable on a Band A car while on a Band M car it is £490/annum.

7.17 Cars with carbon emissions under 100 g/km are currently exempt from the London

Congestion Charge but this threshold may change to 75 g/km in July 2013. In

2012/13 there were 573 London car club cars under 100g/km but only four under

75 g/km (Vauxhall Ampera plug-in petrol/electric series hybrid with published

emissions of 27 g/km) and three EVs which are zero emission at the point of use.

There are no vehicles on the on-line VCA national database (May 2013) with

emissions below 75 g/km; the lowest is the Toyota Yaris petrol/electric parallel

hybrid at 79 g/km (24 on fleet in London). The Chevrolet Volt has published

emissions of 27 g/km, the same as the Vauxhall Ampera, but it too does not appear

on the May 2013 VCA database.

7.18 To achieve a reduction in UK transport carbon dioxide emissions, car fleet

operators are encouraged to select vehicles under 120 g/km (Band C) and, where

practical, under 100 g/km (Band A). There are some vehicle types such as large

people carriers which are not yet available under 120 g/km and where a case can

be made for their deployment it is good practice to seek out the lowest carbon

vehicle that meets the requirement. The table which follows shows the number

and proportion of car club cars in London in each VED emission band.

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TABLE 7.3 PROFILE OF CAR CLUB CARS IN LONDON BY VED EMISSION BAND

CO2 Emission Band (gCO2/km) Number %

Band A <=100 573 34.6%

Band B 101-110 199 12.0%

Band C 111-120 784 47.4%

Band D 121-130 7 0.4%

Band E 131-140 85 5.1%

Band F 141-150 5 0.3%

Band G 151-165 1 0.1%

Band H 166-175

Band I 176-185

Band J 186-200

Band K 201-225

Band L 226-255

Band M 256+

Total 1,654 100%

7.19 Figure 7.5 shows the profile of the London Car Club fleet in relation to the British

national fleet data22. Clearly many more London club cars are in the lowest three

emission Bands A to C with most club cars in Band C. In the British national fleet

most vehicles are in Band G (151-165 g/km).

22 DfT Statistics: Table VEH0206. Licensed cars by CO2 emission band, Great Britain, annually: 2001 to 2012.

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FIGURE 7.5 PROFILE OF THE LONDON CAR CLUB AND BRITISH NATIONAL

FLEETS

Note: Some car clubs have a policy of renewing fleet vehicles after a fixed

number of years. Because new car carbon emissions are improving by about 4

g/km/annum23 a regular replacement cycle should result in a better carbon

profile. It will also result in more rapid adoption of new Euro standards which

regulate air quality emissions.

7.20 The distribution is reflected in the car club fleet average carbon emission which is

shown below. Car club cars are on average 31% lower than the British national

average car and 15% lower than the London car club average reported in 2011/12.

23 New Car CO2 Report 2013, SMMT.

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TABLE 7.4 CARBON EMISSIONS OF CAR CLUB CARS AND THE BRITISH

NATIONAL FLEET

Carbon emissions

(gCO2/km) Car Club Cars 2011 Car Club Cars 2012

British National

Fleet

Average – All

Vehicles 129.6 110.1* 160.1

*excludes “zero emission” electric vehicles.

7.21 There is some variation in the carbon profiles of the four clubs operating in London

as can be seen in the bar graph below. At the request of the operators, the data

has been anonymised.

FIGURE 7.6 LONDON CAR CLUB FLEET CARBON EMISSIONS PROFILE

7.22 None of the fleet cars exceeded 150 g/km and in all cases the vehicles in the

higher bands (131-140 g/km and 141-150 g/km) were 5+2 seat people carriers (e.g.

VW Touran); this reflects the differing needs of club members. Only Club 5 had a

fleet under 100 g/km but it was also a very small fleet and all the vehicles were

the same year, make and model.

7.23 In terms of the fuels used clubs in London also show different strategies. While

some have a diesel led approach others are prepared to consider a wide range of

fuel/energy types including electric only.

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TABLE 7.5 CAR CLUB FUEL TYPES AND EMISSIONS

Fuel Type and

Carbon Emissions Club 1 Club 2 Club 3 Club 5

London

Average

Diesel 97% 6% 60% 0% 82.8%

Electric 0% 0% 4% 0% 0.2%

Petrol 3% 64% 36% 100% 12.8%

Petrol/Electric 0% 29% 0% 0% 4.3%

Average CO2 g/km 111.4 101.0 114.5 99.0 110.1

7.24 It is of note that the clubs with the most petrol and petrol-electric hybrid cars

achieved the lowest average published carbon emissions. Electric vehicles are

rated as zero emission but in practice that will depend on the energy source; for

that reason they have been excluded from the average CO2 g/km calculation.

Typically a vehicle such as a Nissan Leaf charged overnight from the national grid

will have carbon emissions in use equivalent to 100 g/km to 130 g/km dependent

on the range achieved; itself dependent on driving style.

Carbon Emissions Profile - Vans

7.25 There is no equivalent carbon banding scheme in place for vans and the car

banding is not appropriate as it does not reflect the wide range in size and load

carrying capability of vans. What would be a very poor emission for a car derived

van such as a Ford Fiesta might be excellent for a 3.5 tonne Ford Transit Luton van

and any ranking should also take account of Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) size

category. Published carbon emissions data (g/km) is available for most vans

registered since 2009 but was not obligatory until 2010, nearly nine years after car

data was mandatory and van data has not yet achieved 100% of registrations. No

air quality data is published for vans.

7.26 In 2012/13 there were 189 vans available to car club members in London. They

included 3 VW Crafter, 20 VW Caddy and 166 VW Transporter T28s (heavy van in

the 2601-3500kg DVLA size class). All were diesel powered. The VW Transporter

has published carbon emissions of 198 g/km and the VW Caddy 136 g/km.

Air Quality – Cars

7.27 As well as carbon dioxide emissions, internal combustion engines (ICE) also

produce a range of other emissions many of which are known toxins and impact on

local air quality. The toxic emissions are regulated by the Euro standards. The

principal pollutants of concern in the UK’s towns and cities are NOX (Nitrogen

oxides and in particular Nitrogen dioxide, NO2) and PM10 (particulates under 10

microns) and their output is measured in milligrams per kilometre (mg/km). There

are many areas of the country where levels of one or both of these two pollutants

exceed EU maximum permissible limits and local authorities have had to declare

an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). All the authorities within the M25 have

declared AQMAs. Air pollution can have a significant adverse impact on public

health and it is estimated that in 2008 up to 30,000 people across the UK suffered

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65

premature deaths due at least in part to poor air quality24. This is clearly many

more premature deaths than the number that occur as a direct result of road

traffic collisions. A study25 commissioned by the London Mayor’s Office on the

impact of fine particulate emissions (PM2.5 - under 2.5 microns) suggested that in

London 4,300 deaths/annum could be partially attributed to poor air quality.

7.28 The Euro emissions standards for diesel and petrol cars are shown in the table

below. What is immediately apparent is that for any given standard the diesel

vehicle is permitted to be more polluting; e.g. it is not until 2014 that a Euro 6

diesel car must meet the 2005 Euro 4 standard for NOX emissions for a petrol car.

Most petrol cars have very low particulate emissions, initially (in 1993) this was

considered too low for available technology to measure, but a minimum standard

was introduced in 2009 to ensure new types of petrol engine did not produce

particulates. Concern over the large number of very small (under 2.5 microns) but

low mass particles being produced by modern diesel engines has led to the

introduction in 2011 of a limit to the number of particles (PN) per kilometre (see

Euro 5b in Table 7.6).

TABLE 7.6 EMISSIONS BY EURO STANDARD

Standard Implementation CO HC HC+NOX NOX PM10 PN

DIESEL

Euro 4 January 2005 500 300 250 25

Euro 5a September 2009 500 230 180 5

Euro 5b September 2011 500 230 180 5 6.0 x 1011

Euro 6 September 2014 500 170 80 5 6.0 x 1011

PETROL

Euro 4 January 2005 1000 100 80

Euro 5 September 2009 1000 100 60 5

Euro 6 September 2014 1000 100 60 5 6.0 x 1011

CO = Carbon monoxide (mg/km). HC = Hydrocarbons (mg/km). NOX = Nitrogen Oxides

(mg/km). PM10 = Particles under 10 microns in diameter (mg/km), PN = Particle number

(number/km).

7.29 The car club fleet in London is 99.9% Euro 5 compliant (up from 80.3% in 2011)

with the remaining 0.1% (1 vehicle) meeting the acceptable Euro 4 standard.

24 Air quality: A follow up report - Environmental Audit Committee, October 2011.

25 Report on estimation of mortality impacts of particulate air pollution in London, June 2010

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FIGURE 7.7 LONDON CAR CLUB FLEET EURO EMISSIONS PROFILE

7.30 Clubs 1, 3 and 5 are 100% Euro 5 compliant while Club 2 is almost 100% Euro 5 (one

Euro 4 vehicle) compliant.

FIGURE 7.8 LONDON CAR CLUB FLEET EURO EMISSIONS PROFILE BY CAR CLUB

7.31 Table 7.7 shows the impact on air quality emissions of fuel choice and Euro

standards. Club 2 has a predominantly petrol or petrol-electric hybrid fleet so its

NOX emissions are low. Petrol-electric hybrids in particular have very low NOX

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emissions; typically under 10 mg/km. The majority diesel fleet (Club 1) has NOX

emissions over 140 mg/km.

TABLE 7.7 CAR CLUB FUEL TYPES AND AIR QUALITY EMISSIONS

Fuel Type/Air

Quality

Club 1 Club 2 Club 3 Club 5 London

Average

Diesel 97% 6% 60% 82.8%

Electric 4% 0.2%

Petrol 3% 64% 36% 100% 12.8%

Petrol/Electric 29% 4.3%

Average NOX

mg/km 146.4 22.7 105.3 24.0 127.3

Average PM10

mg/km 0.4 0.1 0.3 n/a* 0.3

* There are no diesel cars in this fleet and so no measured particulate emissions.

7.32 Overall the combined average emission data of car club fleets in London exceeds

the minimum requirements of the Euro 5 diesel standard.

7.33 The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory for cars on urban roads gives

average values (including cold start) of 408 mg/km NOX and 17 mg/km PM10.

Although not directly comparable it is clear that all the car club fleets are

operating well below these levels.

7.34 Combining carbon and air quality data shows that Club 2 is able to operate the

lowest carbon fleet with the lowest NOX emissions and virtually no particulate

emissions.

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Air Quality - Vans

7.35 All the car club vans available in London met the current Euro 5 air quality

emission standard (up from 68.8% Euro 5 in 2011). The table below shows the

maximum permitted emissions for a Class III (over 1760 kg) diesel van.

TABLE 7.8 MAXIMUM PERMITTED EMISSIONS FOR VANS BY EURO STANDARD

Standard Implementation CO HC+ NOX NOX PM10 PN

Euro 4 January 2006 740 460 390 60

Euro 5a September 2010 740 350 280 5

Euro 5b September 2011 740 350 280 5 6.0 x 1011

Euro 6 September 2015 740 215 125 5 6.0 x 1011

CO = Carbon monoxide (mg/km). HC = Hydrocarbons (mg/km). NOX = Nitrogen Oxides

(mg/km). PM10 = Particles under 10 microns in diameter (mg/km), PN = Particle number

(number/km).

7.36 As yet, manufacturers have not been obliged to publish van air quality emission

data (NOX and PM10) so all that is available are the maximum permitted values

relating to the relevant Euro emission standard. It is therefore not possible to

compare the air quality emissions of different makes and models.

7.37 With no published vehicle specific data no further analysis of van emissions can be

carried out. Therefore it is only possible to comment that the current fleet of

vans available to club members in London meets the highest commercially

available standard for air quality emissions.

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8 Summary of the results

8.1 This section provides a discussion of the results for each of the surveys and some

analysis of the implications of the findings for car clubs in Great Britain.

Members and Joiners Survey

8.2 Ratings of customer service by members remain high, with 88% of members and

89% of joiners rating their car club’s service as “Good” or “Very Good”. The

member result represents a 4% point increase on 2011/12, though customer service

ratings have been consistently high for both members and joiners since the surveys

began in 2007. Joiners are satisfied with the process of joining a car club: 89% of

joiners found the information they received from their car club operator both

before and during early booking to be either ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’.

Car ownership and use

8.3 Car clubs are primarily used by people who do not own a car with 81% of members

and 69% of joiners stating that they did do not have a private car in their

household. 32% of members and 23% of joiners reduced the number of cars owned

by their household since joining a car club. Of members who sold or disposed of a

car, 42% report that joining the car club was the main reason or a major factor,

whilst 35% report that it had no effect. Overall then, for the majority of car club

joiners, car club membership is an addition to their mobility options and, once

they have joined, they are more likely to reduce the number of cars they own.

8.4 The survey provides an indication that car club membership also helps to defer car

purchase with 29% of members stating that they would have bought a car if they

had not joined a car club and 66% reporting that, as a result of joining a car club,

they are less likely to purchase a private car within the next few years.

8.5 The majority of car club members in London belong to low mileage households

with 67% reporting that their household drives 3,000 miles or less per year.

Overall, the average annual mileage for car club members using household cars is

2,859 miles, significantly lower than the national average of 8,430 annual miles. In

comparison, annual mileage travelled members by car club cars is much lower at

1,336 miles. This average was inflated by a handful of respondents who stated a

very high mileage consumption in car club cars - for most members, this figure is

likely to be much lower. The combined average annual mileage driven by car club

members in household and car club cars (4,195 miles) is 50% lower than the

National Travel Survey average.

Use of other modes

8.6 Car club members make much more use of other modes of transport than the

general population. Respondents to the survey reported frequent use of other

modes of transport including 82% who made walking trips of 20 minutes or more at

least once per week, 33% of members who cycle at least once per week and 71%

who travel by bus at least once per week. Frequency of public transport and

cycling use by car club members is higher than the general population (when

compared with the National Travel Survey and London Travel Demand Survey),

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70

with frequency of cycling notably higher at 42% of members cycling at least once a

week compared to just 15% of the national population and 13% of Londoners.

Reasons for joining

8.7 The most popular reason for joining a car club stated by members (78%) and

joiners (79%) was the ability to hire cars on a short term basis. This was followed

by the ability to make trips that they are unable to do by other modes (62% of

members and 59% of joiners)26.

8.8 31% of joiners and 30% of members had moved to a new area at the time of joining

a car club, and 13% of both members and joiners had changed jobs or retired. This

appears to suggest that car clubs may be most appropriately marketed to potential

members at “points of churn”. These are times in life when a change in personal

circumstances may require review of personal travel options, most likely in

conjunction with reviewing other lifestyle choices. However, no analysis was

undertaken to compare frequency of these life events amongst the general

population.

Peer-to-Peer Member Survey

8.9 Members of peer-to-peer clubs were satisfied with their car club’s service but not

to the same extent as members of back-to-base car clubs: 75% of Whipcar

members rated service as “Good” or “Very Good” compared to 88% of members of

back-to-base car clubs in London.

8.10 69% of Whipcar members did not own a car, the same figure as London joiners but

lower than London members (81%) of back-to-base car clubs. It appears that

membership of Whipcar had little impact on the decision to sell or dispose of a

car. The majority (35) of the 54 respondents who reported that they had sold or

disposed of a car stated that their membership had no effect on their decision.

13% of Whipcar members would have bought a car if they had not joined a car

club: less than half as many as back-to-base car club members in London (29%).

8.11 There was some indication that peer-to-peer car club membership may influence

car ownership as 47% of Whipcar members stated that, as a result of joining a car

club, they are less likely to purchase a private car within the next few years. This

is lower than for back-to-base car club members in London, 66% of whom stated

they are less likely to purchase a car in future.

8.12 Similar to back-to-base car club members, the majority of Whipcar members

belong to low mileage households; 93% report that their household drives 3,000

miles or less per year. The average annual mileage for Whipcar members using

household cars is 665 miles – substantially lower than the average for back-to-base

car club members in London (2,859 miles). The average annual mileage for

Whipcar members using Whipcar cars is 333 miles. Again, this is substantially lower

than the average for back-to-base car club members in London (1,336 miles). The

combined average annual mileage for Whipcar members using household and car

club cars (998 miles) is 88% lower than the National Travel Survey average.

26 Figures sum to greater than 100% because respondents were able to pick more than one answer

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71

8.13 Most (68%) stated that their household annual mileage had not changed since

joining Whipcar. No respondents stated that their annual mileage has decreased

whilst 29% stated that it had increased. It is possible that peer-to-peer car clubs

increase car mileage consumption by making car travel available to people who

previously did not travel by car, though, as noted above, users are generally low

mileage consumers.

8.14 Similarly to back-to-base car club members, Whipcar members report making

frequent use of other modes of transport including 70% who complete walking trips

of 20 minutes or more at least once per week, 63% who travel by bus at least once

per week and 33% who cycle at least once per week.

Corporate Member Survey

8.15 The corporate member survey shows a high level of satisfaction with using a car

club for business travel; 91% of business users rate their car club’s service as

“Good” or “Very Good”. Corporate car club membership appears to benefit

employees who need access to a car on an occasional basis, rather than for regular

(e.g. daily) trips with 30% of business users stating that they use a club car at least

once a month and 21% once a week. Most of this travel is made by car club cars

(94%) rather than vans (6%).

8.16 The survey found that use of car clubs for business travel is a replacement for the

use of grey fleet (employees’ own cars) for many. 46% of respondents stated that

they used their own car for business travel before joining the car club but just 7%

stated that they travelled this way after joining. A reduction in the use of public

transport was also observed after joining a car club (from 20% of respondents

choosing this option before to 15% after). However, it is also likely that public

transport use increased amongst the 16% of respondents who stated that they

travel to work by car less often since joining the car club - many of these journeys

are likely to be public transport journeys. Corporate car club membership can

facilitate the use of public transport for the commute to work by removing the

need for an employee to bring his/her car to work in order to use it during the

working day.

8.17 Although most respondents were either unaware of any changes to their

employer’s travel policies since joining the car club or stated that there had been

none, 16% stated that employees were now actively discouraged from using their

own cars and 14% stated that pool cars had been replaced by car club cars. The

following section contains further discussion of employer travel policies.

Corporate Administrator Survey

8.18 The corporate administrator survey provided information about the use of

corporate car club accounts from a sample of 159 administrators employed by

mostly smaller organisations with a majority of responses from the private sector.

The majority of respondents (82%) found the service provided by their car club

operator to be “Good” or “Very Good” and the key benefit cited was the financial

savings that car clubs bring. The survey did not establish these financial savings in

any more detail but they are likely come in various forms, including productivity

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gains, reduced administration of employee mileage claims and management of

pool or company cars.

8.19 Most respondents stated that a small proportion of their business mileage was

travelled in car club cars; this highlights the role of a corporate car club as a

complement to other modes, rather than a single solution to an employer’s travel

needs.

8.20 With a large proportion of small organisations responding to the survey (86% had

fewer than 10 employees), many of the questions about corporate policies on staff

travel were not particularly relevant, as small organisations are less likely to have

detailed travel policies or travel plans. Only a minority of administrators

responding to the survey stated that their organisation collected information about

staff travel habits (16%) or mileage consumption by car club cars (21%), a grey

fleet vehicle (15%) or a pool car (3%) but this may reflect the predominance of

smaller organisations responding to the survey. Only a small proportion had a

travel plan (17%) or travel policy (25%).

8.21 There was limited evidence to suggest that car club corporate membership was

linked to changes in corporate travel policies with 32% of respondents stating that

there had been a change to corporate travel policies since joining the car club.

The most common change involved organisations actively discouraging employees

from using their own cars to travel (13%). Most respondents (61%) stated their

organisation also had a pre-paid public transport ticket for use by staff, and 28%

had pool cars and 23% pool bikes. This may suggest that corporate car club

membership is used alongside other staff travel initiatives, rather than as a sole

solution.

Operator Survey

8.22 The survey of car club operators found that the majority of car club members in

Great Britain live in London (84%) which is the primary market for car clubs. Most

members (82%) have individual membership with 18% holding a corporate

membership. 61% of car club members were male and 32% were female. This

compares with a split of 54% male and 46% female amongst national licence

holders in 2012. The proportion of members who are male has reduced from 69% in

2010 to 61% in 2012, though this is still higher than nationally where 54% of licence

holders are male. A high proportion (72%) of car club members are aged 25-44,

compared to 33% of all licence holders in Great Britain, highlighting the relatively

young market for car club membership.

8.23 Compared to previous operator surveys, the average number of hires per active

member has increased since 2011, from 6.7 hires to 8.2 hires, whilst the average

duration of hire has remained stable at 6.7 hours (6.8 hours in 2011). Average

distance per hire shows a slight increase on 2011, up from 34.5 miles to 37.8 miles.

The average annual mileage per member has increased since 2011, from 237 miles

to 305 miles, though this still represents a very low vehicle mileage consumption

compared to the general population.

Results for London

73

Emissions Analysis and Profiling

8.24 The emissions analysis and profiling report showed that overall the car club fleets

in London offer members vehicles that are low carbon and meet the current (Euro

5) air quality standards. Key findings include:

I Almost all club cars are in the lowest three VED emission Bands A to C with

most club cars in Band C. In the British national car fleet most vehicles are in

Band G (151-165 g/km);

I The average carbon emissions of the car club fleets in London in 2012/13 are

31% lower than the British national average car and 15% lower than the British

car club fleet average reported in 2011/12;

I Car clubs with the most petrol and petrol-electric hybrid vehicles achieved the

lowest average published carbon emissions; and

I The car club fleet in London is almost 100% Euro 5 compliant (up from 80% in

2011).

8.25 When selecting new vehicles for use in London, there is a need to balance climate

change (low carbon, fuel efficient), public health (low toxic emissions; notably

nitrogen oxides and particulates) and whole life costs (depreciation or lease,

insurance, maintenance and repairs).

8.26 A summary table of the emissions data for the car club fleets in all 3 reporting

regions of the Carplus Annual Survey (England and Wales (excluding London),

Scotland and London) appears in Appendix B.

Results for London

Appendix A

APPENDIX

A

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES

Results for London

Appendix A

A1 MEMBERS AND JOINERS SURVEY

It would be great if you could take a few minutes to answer the following

questions. This information will help Carplus – the national organisation for shared

mobility - and our funding partners, Transport for London and Transport Scotland,

to gain a better understanding of how car clubs influence travel patterns, and may

help in gaining support for putting more car club cars on the street in the future.

In return for completing the survey, you will be entered into a prize draw, with

the winner receiving £100 in driving credit (you must enter your membership

number if you want to enter the prize draw). The survey closes on 14th December

2012.

Survey responses will be kept confidential to each individual’s car club operator,

Carplus and our survey partners, Steer Davies Gleave. The survey results will be

used for research purposes only, as authorised by Carplus.

For further information, contact Justine Hart, Carplus on 0113 234 9299.

Many thanks.

1. What is your car club membership number?

2. Where do you live? (list of boroughs)

3. Which year did you join the car club?

4. If response is 2012 - ask which month in 2012? Any respondents who stated that they had joined within 3 months of completing the survey were

directed to the joiners questions.

5. What is your overall satisfaction with the current service?

Very Good

Good

Average

Poor

Very Poor

6. How many cars did your household own before joining the car club?

(please include lease cars or company cars where appropriate)

0 1 2 3 4 5 or more

7. How many cars does your household own now?


0 1 2 3 4 5 or more

8. What was the approximate mileage driven by your household in car club vehicles in the past 12 months?

Results for London

Appendix A

Zero

1-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,001-7,000

7,001-8,000

8,001-9,000

9,001-10,000

10,001-11,000

11,001-12,000

12,001-13,000

13,001-14,000

14,001-15,000

15,001-16,000

16,001-17,000

17,001-18,000

18,001-19,000

19,001-20,000

20,001-21,000

21,001-22,000

22,001-23,000

23,001-24,000

24,001-25,000

25,000+

(Please specify)

Don't know

Results for London

Appendix A

9. For your car club use, and your household car, what was the approximate mileage travelled in the last 12 months? (Same mileage categories as above. Respondents

could enter data for up to 4 household cars)

10. If you have entered 25,000+ in any of the boxes above, please can you give an estimate of the total mileage your household has driven in the last 12 months.

FREE TEXT BOX

11. Have you sold or otherwise disposed of a car in the past 12 months?

Yes (go to 12 and 13)

No (go to 14)

12. Please tell us how many miles you drove in that car in the past 12 months, before you sold / disposed of it?

13. When you sold / disposed of your car, was the car club:

Main reason

Major factor

Minor factor

Not a factor

Don’t know

14. How has your household's annual car driver mileage changed since joining the car club?

Increased

No change

Decreased

Don’t know

15. If your household’s annual car driver mileage has changed since joining the club, please provide an estimate of the CHANGE in mileage (i.e. the amount of increase or

decrease). (Same mileage categories as above)

16. If you hadn’t joined the car club, would your household have bought a private car?

Yes

No

Don't know

17. Do you think that joining the car club has made it more or less likely that your household will buy a car (or another car) in the next few years?

More likely

Less likely

No effect

Results for London

Appendix A

Don't know

18. Did you make any trips as a car driver in the last MONTH?

Yes

No

Don't know

19. Typically, how often do you make a trip by each of these types of transport?

(please count a return journey as 2 trips)

3 or more

times per

week

1-2 times per

week

Less than

that but at

least 1 per

month

Less than

that but at

least 1 per

year

No trips

made

Don't Know

Bus

Coach

Train

Underground,

metro or

other tram

Car driver

(private car)

Car driver

(car club car)

Car

passenger

(either

private or car

club vehicle)

Taxi or

minicab

Bicycle

Walking (for

20 minutes or

more without

stopping)

20. Why did you join a car club? (Tick all that apply)

To reduce the amount I spend on travel

To hire cars on a short term basis

To reduce my car use

To be environmentally friendly

Results for London

Appendix A

I had to sell / dispose of my own car

I had problems parking my own car where I live

To make trips that I cannot make using other modes

Somebody recommended it to me

None of the above

Other

FREE TEXT BOX

21. At the time of joining the car club, had you recently experienced any of the following? (Tick all that apply)


I changed jobs / retired

I had a change in family circumstances (e.g. I had children / got divorced)

I left home for the first time (e.g. to start University)


My children started at a new school

I had a change in financial circumstances (e.g. redundancy)

None of the above

22. What is your home postcode?

FREE TEXT BOX

Results for London

Appendix A

A2 PEER TO PEER SURVEY

We’ve teamed up with the national charity Carplus, to help them get a better

understanding of how using WhipCar influences your travel choices.

We’d really appreciate it if you could spare a few minutes to answer the following

questions. All responses will be kept confidential to WhipCar, Carplus and Steer Davies

Gleave, and will be used for research purposes only.

1. Where do you live?

England (outside London)

London

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

2. How old are you?

Under 25

25-34

35-44

45-54

55 or older

3. When did you join WhipCar?

2012

2011

2010

4. How many times have you rented a car through WhipCar

0

1

2

3

4

Results for London

Appendix A

5 or more

5. What is your overall satisfaction with the current service?

Very Good

Good

Average

Poor

Very Poor

6. How many cars did your household own before joining WhipCar?


0

1

2

3

4

5 or more

7. How many cars does your household own now?


0

1

2

3

4

5 or more

8. What was the approximate mileage driven by you or your household during WhipCar rentals during the last year?

Miles

Zero

1-100

100-250

Results for London

Appendix A

250-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,000+

9. What was your approximate total mileage driven in any car during the last year?

Miles

Zero

1-100

100-250

250-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,000+

10. If your household has sold or otherwise disposed of a car in the past year, please tell us how many miles you drove in that car in the last year, before you sold /

disposed of it?

Miles

Zero

1-100

100-250

250-500

501-1,000

1,001-2,000

Results for London

Appendix A

2,001-3,000

3,001-4,000

4,001-5,000

5,001-6,000

6,000+

11. If your household sold / disposed of a car since joining WhipCar, was WhipCar:

Main reason

Major factor

Minor factor

No effect

Don’t know

OR

Not applicable, as did not get rid of a car

12. How has your household's annual car driver mileage changed since joining WhipCar?

Increased

No change

Decreased

Don’t know

13. If you hadn’t joined WhipCar, would your household have bought a private car?

Yes

No

Don't know

14. Do you think that joining WhipCar has made it more or less likely that your household will buy a car (or another car) in the next few years?

More likely

Less likely

No effect

Don't know

Results for London

Appendix A

15. Did you make any trips as a car driver in the last MONTH?

Yes

No

Don't know

16. Typically, how often do you make a trip by each of these types of transport?

(please count a return journey as 2 trips)

3 or more

times per

week

1-2 times

per week

Less than

that but at

least 1 per

month

Less than

that but at

least 1 per

year

No trips

made

Don't Know

Bus

Coach

Train

Underground,

metro or

other tram

Car driver

(private car )

Car driver

(car club car)

Car

passenger

(either

private or car

club vehicle)

Taxi or

minicab

Bicycle

Walking (for

20 minutes or

more without

stopping)

17. Why did you choose to join Whipcar ?

To reduce the amount I spend on travel

To hire cars on a short term basis

To reduce my car use

To be environmentally friendly

Results for London

Appendix A

Instead of purchasing a car/replacing an existing car

I had problems parking my own car where I live

To make trips that I cannot make using other transport

Somebody recommended it to me

None of the above

18. At the time of joining the car club, had you recently experienced any of the following? (Tick all that apply)


I changed jobs / retired

I had a change in family circumstances (e.g. I had children / got divorced)

I left home for the first time (e.g. to start University)


My children started at a new school

I had a change in financial circumstances (e.g. redundancy)

None of the above

19. What is your home postcode?

FREE TEXT BOX

Thank you for your time and help with this survey.

Results for London

Appendix A

A3 CORPORATE MEMBER SURVEY

Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions In return for completing the

survey, you will be entered into a prize draw, with the winner receiving a Google Nexus 7

(you must enter your membership number if you want to enter the prize draw). The survey

closes on 14th December 2012.

This information will help Carplus – the national organisation for shared mobility - and our

funding partners, Transport for London and Transport Scotland, to gain a better

understanding of how car clubs influence travel patterns, and may help in gaining support

for putting more car club cars on the street in the future.

Survey responses will be kept confidential to each individual’s car club operator, Carplus

and our survey partners, Steer Davies Gleave. The survey results will be used for research

purposes only, as authorised by Carplus.

For further information, contact Justine Hart, Carplus on 0113 234 9299.

1. In which location do you primarily use the car club service?


LAs

London

Boroughs

Scotland

LAs

Wales

LAs

2. What is your overall satisfaction level with the car club you use for work-related travel? (Choose one)

Very Good

Good

Average

Poor

Very Poor

3. On average, how often do you use a car club vehicle for work-related trips? (Choose one)

Once a week or more

Once a month or more

Less than that but at least once every two months

Less than that but at least once per year

Results for London

Appendix A

4. Please tell us your usual form of transport for work-related trips before and after joining the car club?

Before joining the car club After joining the car club

Used my own car

Used a company car

Used a pool car owned by my

employer

Traditional car rental

Public transport

Walk

Cycle

Taxi

Other (please specify)

5. What type of car club vehicle do you use most often?

Car

Van

6. Has joining the car club changed your own habits in any of the following ways? (Tick all that apply)

I travel to work by car less often

I make more work-related trips

I make fewer work-related trips

I now use a car club for private (non work-related) trips

I have sold or disposed of my own car

None of the above

7. Has your organisation made any changes to its business travel arrangements or policies since joining the car club?

Yes, pool cars have been replaced by car club cars

Yes, the number of company cars has been reduced

Yes, car mileage allowance rates have been reduced

Yes, employees are actively discouraged from using their own cars

Results for London

Appendix A


Yes, other changes to travel policies (please state)

Don’t know

To enter the prize for a chance to win a Google Nexus 7, enter your car club

membership number here (FREE TEXT BOX)

Results for London

Appendix A

A4 CORPORATE ADMINISTRATOR SURVEY

Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions. In return for completing the

survey, you will be entered into a prize draw, with the winner receiving a Google Nexus 7.

This information will help Carplus – the national organisation for shared mobility - and our

funding partners, Transport for London and Transport Scotland, to gain a better

understanding of how organisations use car clubs.

Survey responses will be kept confidential to each individual’s car club operator, Carplus

and our survey partners, Steer Davies Gleave. The survey results will be used for research

purposes only, as authorised by Carplus.

For further information, contact Justine Hart, Carplus on 0113 234 9299. The survey closes

on 14th December 2012.

Note: If your organisation has multiple sites, please answer only for the main location

where car club cars are available to employees.

1. Where is your organisation based?


LAs

London

Boroughs

Scotland

LAs

Wales

LAs

2. Which sector is your organisation in?

Private sector

Public sector

Third sector

3. How many staff are employed at your organisation? (at the location where car club cars are available to employees)

Less than 10

10-30

30-70

70-100

100-500

500- 750

750- 1000

1000 – 1500

1500 – 2000

2000+

Results for London

Appendix A

4. How many employees have joined the car club at your organisation?

Less than 10

10-30

30-70

70-100

100-500

500- 750

750- 1000

1000 – 1500

1500 – 2000

2000+

5. Which car club does your organisation have corporate membership of?

FREE TEXT BOX

6. In which year did your organisation become a corporate member?

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

7. Please indicate whether your organisation collects the following information about car mileage travelled by employees on work-related trips?

Grey fleet (employees’ own cars) mileage

Car club car mileage

Pool car (owned by your organisation) mileage

None of these

Don’t know

8. Approximately what proportion of car mileage consumed by your organisation for work-related journeys is undertaken using car club cars?

Less than 10%

11-20%

21-30%

31-40%

41-50%

51-60%

61-70%

71-80%

81-90%

91-100%

Results for London

Appendix A

9. Do you collect any data on staff travel patterns (for business journeys)?

Yes

No

Don’t know

10. If yes, would you be prepared to share this data with Carplus?

Yes

No

11. Does your organisation have a Travel Plan (sometimes known as a Transport Strategy / Green Transport Plan?)

Yes

No

Don’t know

12. Does your organisation have a travel policy for work-related travel during the working day?

Yes (go to Q13)

No (Go to Q14)

Don’t know (Go to Q14)

13. If yes,

Yes, for

any trip

Yes, but

only for

some trips

No

a. Does the travel policy prioritise travel

by public transport, walking and cycling

for work-related trips?

b. Does the travel policy require employees

to use a car club car if making work-

related car trips?

c. Are employees permitted to use their

own vehicle for work-related travel

during the working day?

d. Are employees permitted to claim a

private vehicle mileage allowance for

work-related travel?

Other

Results for London

Appendix A

14. Does your organisation provide any of the following for employees to use when making work-related trips? (please tick all that apply):

Pool cars

Company cars

Leased Cars

Salary Sacrifice Cars

Pool bikes

Pre-paid public transport ticket (e.g. Oyster card)

15. Has your organisation made any changes to its business travel arrangements or policies since joining the car club?

Yes, pool cars have been replaced by car club cars

Yes, the number of company cars has been reduced

Yes, car mileage allowance rates have been reduced

Yes, employees are actively discouraged from using their own cars


Yes, other changes to travel policies (please state)

Don’t know

16. What is your overall satisfaction with the current service provided by your car club operator?

Very Good

Good

Average

Poor

Very Poor

17. What have been the key benefits of joining the car club for your organisation (tick all that apply)?

Financial savings

Reduced CO2 emissions

Reduced administrative burden

A reduction in the number of parking spaces required

Reduced levels of business mileage

Improved employee satisfaction

Other (please state)

Results for London

Appendix A

We would like to understand more about any cost savings to your organisation

as a result of joining the car club. If you would be prepared to share this

information with us on an anonymous basis, please provide your email address.

To enter the prize draw for the chance to win a Google Nexus 7, please enter

your car club membership number.

Results for London

Appendix A

A5 OPERATOR SURVEY

1. How many members do you have as at end November 2012?

Members Number of members

Individual

Corporate

Total

2. How many members hired a car in the previous 12 months as at end of November 2012?

Number of members

Members who hired a car in last year

3. Where do car club members live?

Member location Number of members

London

England and Wales (outside London)

Scotland

Total

4. What is the gender split of members?

Gender Number of members

Male

Female

Total

5. How many members are there in each age band, as at end of November 2012?

Age Number of members

Under 21

21 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 34

35 to 44

45 to 49

Results for London

Appendix A

50 to 54

55 to 59

60 or over

Total

6. What is the mean average distance travelled per hire (in miles)?

Distance in miles (to 2 decimal places)

Mean average distance travelled per hire

7. What is the average length of hire period (in hours)?

Time in hours (to 2 decimal places)

Average length of hire

8. What is the average number of hires per member per year (for those who have hired a

car in the last 12 months)?

Number of hires (to 2 decimal places)

Average hires per ‘active’ member

9. What is the distribution of number of hires per member per year (last year to end

November 2012)?

Hires in last 12 months Number of members

None

1 to 5

6 to 10

11 to 15

16 to 20

21 to 25

26 to 50

51 to 100

Total

Results for London

Appendix A

10. What is the distribution of mileage travelled per hire (last year to end November 2012)

Hires in last 12 months Number of hires in last year

0 to 5

6 to 10

11 to 15

16 to 20

21 to 25

26 to 50

51 to 100

100+

Total

11. How many car club vehicles do you have in each CO2 emission range (as at end of

November 2012)?

gCO2/km Number of cars Number of vans

Less than 100

101 to 110

111 to 120

121 to 130

131 to 140

141 to 150

151 to 165

166 to 175

176 to 185

186 to 200

201 to 225

226 to 255

Over 255

Total

Results for London

Appendix A

12. What are the average emissions, in gCO2/km for your car club cars and vans (as at end

November 2012)?

Average emissions Cars Vans

gCO2/km

13. How many car club vehicles do you have in each EURO standard (as at end of November 2012)?

EURO standard Cars Vans

EURO 1

EURO 2

EURO 3

EURO 4

EURO 5

Total

Results for London

Appendix B

APPENDIX

B

CAR CLUB EMISSIONS SUMMARY TABLE

Results for London

Appendix B

Region

England and

Wales

(excluding

London)

London Scotland

Summary

(All Car

Club

Fleet)

Summary (British

National Fleet*)

Car Fleet Size 471 1,654 161 2,286 28,722,453

Band A 181 573 63 817 297,576

% Band A 38% 35% 39% 36% 1%

Bands B & C 211 983 34 1,228 2,555,646

% Bands B & C 45% 59% 21% 54% 9%

Av CO2 (g/km) 108.8 110.1 113.9 110.1 160.1

Av NOX (mg/km) 75.2 127.3 47.0 111.4 No Data

Av PM10 (mg/km) 1.383 0.334 1.417 0.600 No Data

Euro 5+ 406 1,653 149 2,208 No Data

% Euro 5+ 86% 100% 93% 97% No Data

Diesel 167 1,369 31 1,567 9,392,242

% Diesel 35.5% 82.8% 19.3% 68.5% 32.7%

Petrol 253 211 115 579 19,157,876

% Petrol 53.7% 12.8% 71.4% 25.3% 66.7%

Petrol-Electric Hybrid 35 71 15 121 114,890

% PE Hybrid 7.4% 4.3% 9.3% 5.3% 0.4%

Electric 14 3 0 17 0

% Electric 3.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.7% 0.0%

Av Age Cars (years) 1.68 1.05 2.01 1.25 7.70

Van Fleet Size 15 189 4 208 3,280,600

* Table VEH0206. Licensed cars by CO2 emission band, Great Britain, annually: 2001 to

2012, DfT, April 2013.

Table VEH0203. Cars licensed by propulsion / fuel type, Great Britain, annually: 1994 to

2012, DfT, April 2013.

Table VEH0407. Licensed light goods vehicles by years since first registration - grouped

years, annually: 1994 to 2012, DfT, April 2013.

U:\Leeds\PROJECTS\225\1\92\01\Work\05 Analysis\130610 Carplus annual survey London 2012_13 - CP comments 10-6-2013.docx

Control Sheet

CONTROL SHEET

Project/Proposal Name Carplus Annual Survey 2012/13

Document Title Results for London

Client Contract/Project No.

SDG Project/Proposal No. 22519201

ISSUE HISTORY

Issue No. Date Details

1 22 May 2013 First draft to Carplus

2 24 May 2013 Issue for operator comment

3 11 June 2013 Final report

REVIEW

Originator Ian Bewick

Other Contributors Jennie Rothera, Matthew Clark

Review by: Print Matthew Clark

Sign

DISTRIBUTION

Client: Carplus

Steer Davies Gleave:

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Carplus Annual Survey 2012/13: Results for London

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