DORKING residents and businesses who need occasional access to a car can now hire one for short periods thanks to a new community transport initiative.
Sustainable transport group the easitNETWORK this week launched the Dorking Car Club which it hopes will reduce congestion, cut pollution and avoid parking problems.
Sue Hourihane, easitNETWORK spokeswoman, said the scheme would particularly benefit businesses currently running a pool of vehicles, or regularly hiring cars and taxis.
Families struggling to meet the cost of insurance, tax, servicing and repairs also stand to gain from joining the scheme, which allows a car to be hired for as little as one hour.
The club, which is run by national car club organisation Co-Wheels and supported by easit and Mole Valley District Council, provides access to a Ford Fiesta kept at a specially allocated parking space at the council's Pippbrook offices.
Mrs Hourihane said: "There are an awful lot of councils applying to the Government to get funding to set up these sorts of schemes and we have managed to put this in place free of charge for the taxpayer.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for a small town like Dorking because car clubs have only existed in the big cities up until now.
"Guildford has been trying to set one up through Surrey County Council but Dorking is much smaller and it is going to be good to see what the interest is like."
Mole Valley's environmental services manager Graeme Kane welcomed the scheme as part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
He said: "Car clubs offer additional travel choices for residents and businesses, enabling them to consider the financial and environmental effects of different options before making their journey. I hope residents and local businesses find the Dorking Car Club a useful addition to their travel options."
Dr Mel Mehmet, easitNETWORK chief executive, added: "We are delighted to be introducing this new initiative to Dorking; not only is it an exciting development for our members, but also provides a benefit for local residents."
Mrs Hourihane added: "If this catches on, hopefully we can look at branching out into Leatherhead, Reigate and Banstead – all the places where easit runs its networks."
For more information on how the scheme works, visit www. co-wheels.org.uk, call 0845 602 8030 or e-mail info@easit.org.uk
Leaflets are also available at Pippbrook and Dorking Halls.
