Malvern Hills District Council is delighted to be working with Malvern Hills Car Club and has provided funding of more than £100,000 to support the scheme.
What is Malvern Hills Car Club?
Malvern Hills Car Club is a voluntary organisation, run by volunteers and members themselves, providing access to pay-as-you-go vehicles.
The scheme aims to improve accessibility to transport for residents in rural areas as well as to help households reduce their carbon footprint by not owning a car and having more consideration about their car use.
There are clubs already set up in Malvern, Bransford, Colwall, Ledbury, Leominster, Fownhope and Kington.
We have provided £101,995 from our priority commitment to Community Transport and are calling out to communities to get involved.
This funding will go towards setting up four 'satellite hubs' to help facilitate the clubs, with the small town and larger villages of Tenbury, Upton, and Kempsey being specifically targeted.
As well as this, the money will fund the set-up of an online booking system, as well as upgrade three community cars to electric vehicles.
How much does the car club cost?
It is £20 to join and £7.50 per month to be a member (that covers all drivers over 25 in that household).
When you use a car, it is £3 per hour for the first 4 hours, then £1.50 per hour for the next 6 hours. The following 14 hours are free and then it starts again.
In addition, you pay a mileage charge (as there is a fuel card to top up the tank when needed) the mileage charge is based on fuelling a car that does 45mpg (our average across the fleet) currently with high fuel costs it is 15p per mile.
Cars are parked at or near members' homes wherever possible, we ideally aim to have a group of members within a 5 to 10 min walk from a car.
What is the Ebike to Work Scheme?
We have also provided funding of £22,800 to launch a small fleet of electric bicycles to support access to work and training.
The Ebike to Work scheme (part of Malvern Hills Car Club) provides young people starting work or training with an electric bike to help solve their transport problems.
Transport options are often more limited for people living in rural areas of the district as bus services are not always available and not everyone can afford to own and run a car.
To be accepted on the scheme, participants need to be aged 16 years or over, live or work/train in the Malvern Hills District and have a firm offer of work, training or college course.
It is also available for young people already in work or college who are at risk of losing a job or placement due to transport difficulties.
Watch Michelle, a member of the scheme, talk more about the benefits of using an Ebike.
What are the benefits of a car share scheme?
Car share schemes are proven to reduce overall dependence on a car and members usually find their transport costs are reduced compared to owning their own car.
The existence of a car club can increase use of local services, promote neighbourhood cooperation, and help combat social exclusion by providing access to cars to people who previously had none. This comes under our Stay Connected Pledge. Tackling loneliness has always been a priority in Worcestershire and now more than ever, we recognise there are people of all ages who are feeling lonely. Read more about our Stay Connected Pledge.
The car club scheme provides an environmentally friendly, socially just, community-based alternative to car ownership which helps to reduce the number of car journeys which are made on our roads, in turn reducing congestion and pollution and helping to tackle climate change
We have a priority within our Destination Zero plan to encourage low carbon travel across the district, including car sharing. This forms part of our vision to go carbon neutral as quickly as possible, but by 2050 at the latest. Read about our Destination Zero plan.