The London Assembly Transport Committee has responded to the recent closure of Zipcar in the UK, urging Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) to establish a policy that supports car-sharing companies in the capital city.
Earlier this week, car-sharing service Zipcar announced that it would cease its UK operations at the end of the year.
In a notice sent to users on Monday 1 December, the company said it had started formal consultations with its UK employees about the decision, and noted that it would not be possible for customers to make any new bookings after 31 December 2025.
The sudden announcement has left many in the country surprised, especially those in London who rely on the car-sharing service for trips out of and around the city, as well as for moving large goods around.
In a statement responding to the closure of Zipcar in the UK, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Elly Baker said that London has failed to give car-sharing services a reliable framework to work within.
She said that this lack of support could be one of the reasons Zipcar has closed in the UK.
“There is currently a patchwork approach to car clubs in London and they are failing to reach their full potential. This makes London a very hard city for car club operators to work in and could be one of the reasons for the closure of Zipcar,” Baker said.
“We need to see action from Transport for London (TfL) to establish a pan-London policy on car clubs to enable a more even distribution of car clubs throughout London, make them easier for Londoners to use and raise awareness.”
“Unfortunately, the Mayor recently rejected our call for TfL to develop a pan-London action plan – but the fact remains that TfL is stalling progression of car clubs in London, hence, the industry is in decline,” Baker said.
In April this year, the Transport Committee published a report on how TfL was stalling the growth of car-sharing services in the city through its ‘patchwork’ approach to integrating them into London’s transport network.
The report said that councils had been left to create their own individual strategies for services like Zipcar, and without a pan-London policy many barriers faced by these companies and their users would remain.
The Committee said at the time that it believed TfL was stalling the progression of car clubs in London and that, if this inaction continued, the industry in the city may be in decline.
Baker reiterated the need for TfL to establish a pan-London policy for car-sharing services, making them easier for Londoners to use and improving awareness of their offerings.
Leave a Reply