Avis Expands Urbigo

Scheme reduces congestion and parking chaos, and avoids the problems of car ownership

Rapidly expanding car club, Urbigo - powered by Avis-Rent-A-Car - has extended its London operation, launching sites in Waterloo, Euston and Mayfair (to serve residents in the boroughs of Westminster, Camden, Lambeth and Kensington & Chelsea).

The expansion of the environmentally-friendly club adds to successful schemes already operating in the boroughs of Sutton, Southwark and Deptford as well as the congested city of Oxford.

Designed for trips that are difficult to make on foot, bike, bus or train, such as supermarket shopping or DIY trips, Urbigo cars run like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone. Members of the scheme pay an initial membership fee (£160 per year), then just pay for the time they use the car and the mileage. With members paying for use each time, unnecessary car journeys are unlikely to be made.

Urbigo cars work out cheaper than a taxi and include congestion charges for central London members. Typically, they will either be Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 or Vauxhall Astra 1.4 models, both of which have lower CO2 emissions than average.

Latest figures show that since its introduction three years ago, the initial pilot schemes for Urbigo helped members save around £3,000* or more on annual motoring costs. Urbigo cars are not just for residents as local businesses can benefit too from saving on pool car costs, adding to a range of products Avis offers small businesses, from daily to longer term.

To book a car, members telephone ahead or book on the internet. They are allocated a nearby vehicle, which they return to the original parking bay at the end of the hire period and access the vehicle using their own personal Urbigo key fob, which uses the latest satellite technology to enable them to just ‘bleep’ the car at the start of their journey and ‘bleep’ again when they’ve finished. At the end of the month they receive a statement which can be paid by direct debit.

Urbigo members also receive discounted car rental from Avis for longer journeys in the UK and abroad and are eligible for exclusive partner offers with hotels and airlines.

* figure based on owning a 1.4 Astra and a mileage of 5,000 miles per year