These “car club” cars have made an appearance on the streets of Sutton. They initially caused a stir as so many were in a few roads around Sutton station, but now they are more dispersed.

They offer an alternative to car clubs such as Zipcar, where the car has to be returned to a specified point, as they can be used and then left where the user ends the journey. They can be parked anywhere legal, though not in “Residents Only” parking bays. The company, Car2go, pays Sutton Council the cost if they are parked in a pay and dispay bay, the movements of each car being monitored by sophisticated GPS technology.

Residents who use car clubs tell us they are an attractive and economic alternative to private car ownership for anyone who is an irregular or occasional car user, but who sometimes wants to use a car for a complex series of journeys (visiting relatives or shops, for example) where a minicab or taxi does not offer sufficient flexibility. They thus offer an alternative that is a step in the direction of more environmentally sustainable transport patterns. That said, car club and car hire users are advised to shop around, as there is quite a spread of charges between different companies.