Car co-op mooted (From This is The West Country)

Car co-op mooted

7:42am Wednesday 19th April 2006

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A sustainable living group based in West Somerset is proposing a car-sharing scheme for Minehead in a bid to limit the environmental impact of motor vehicles.

Under the proposal, up to ten members of the scheme would pay £10 per month to jointly own a car, and £2.50 an hour to drive it.

“Most private cars are parked for 95% of the time.

Graham Boswell of Forum 21

The club would pay for the fuel, insure it, and provide parking.

Graham Boswell of Forum 21, said: "Car clubs are a fantastic idea. They save you money and are good for the environment.

"The car is owned by the members, and the club does the rest, while members just drive the car."

He added: "Most private cars are parked for 95% of the time.

"The car club car would be used much more and would therefore be much more cost effective.

"On top of the savings, the overall efficiency would lead to a big reduction in the environmental impact of the motor car."

Forum 21 will be gauging the popularity of its scheme when it mounts a display in Wellington Square, Minehead on Saturday.

Previous projects launched by Forum 21 have included Minehead Farmers' Market and the Timber Re-Use Project, TRUCE, which finds new uses for discarded wood.

The Minehead group is working on the car club project with Co-Cars, a not-for-profit social enterprise that operates Exeter Car Club.

More information at www.co-cars.co.uk Forum 21's display will be in Wellington Square between 9.30am-2pm.

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