Pay as you go car - may be of interest

[Crispy]

Ah well, can't win 'em all
But with this, my bicylce, and public transport, I've got nearly all the transport bases covered. And it (probably) costs me far less than running a car all year round.

 

[marty21]

Ah well, can't win 'em all
But with this, my bicylce, and public transport, I've got nearly all the transport bases covered. And it (probably) costs me far less than running a car all year round.

probably, yes, i don't drive a lot over a year, maybe 4000 miles or so, primarily it's the weekends away, and a few weeks a year when we rent cottages in remote spots, at the moment it's just more convenient for me to own a car as we like going to remote spots...

 

[EastEnder]

at the moment it's just more convenient for me to own a car as we like going to remote spots...

We like you going off to remote spots as well.

 

[hiccup]

Blimey, that was efficient. Signed up online, got a phone call 5 minutes later, will have my card and PIN in 5 working days, but I can use the car in the meantime if I want, cos they can unlock it remotely. Spooky.

Card arrived yesterday. Might take the car out for a spin later

 

[scifisam]

There's a flat fee of £10 for midnight to 6am, and you can only be charged for a maximum of 10 hours per day. it therefore costs £60 per 24hrs if you have it for extended periods. It's also 20p (ish) for every mile over 30 miles you do per day.

All of which makes it useless for long distance travel. Which is what trains and coaches are for anyway. I'll only be using it for big shops, moving flats etc. Can't imagine I'll use it more than once every month, if that. But it'll be nice to know it's there whenever I need it - which is the best thing about a car.

We pay nothing overnight, and £2.50 per hour, but that might be because we signed up quite a while ago. I know the prices have changed, and I vaguely remember my GF telling me that they only applied to new members. We've got it from 11pm a few times, which has cost us a grand total of £2.50 per night. We've also driven to Northampton on it; it worked out at £45, including fees and extra money for going over the usual mileage, which sounds a lot, but it's not so much when it's between 3 people, takes you door to door and avoids unreliable train routes (partic. weekend engineering works).

One reason we use it is that my GF lost the paper part of her driving licence, which hire car companies require but Streetcar doesn't. It also doesn't add stupid fees if the driver is under 25, like most car hire firms do.

Basically, it's not a cure-all, but it fills a niche in the transport system.

A tip: if you have the car cleaned at a car wash, it's paid for on your Streetcar card (same as the petrol), and you get a free hour (or 2, I'm not sure). You can do that a maximum of once a month.

 

[Crispy]

Well, I used this for the first time last night. Had a gig to go to in Muswell Hill. We're house (and cat) sitting for someone at the moment, and seeing as it's also in N London we thought we'd easily be able to pop over. No no no! Tfl journey planner says get a tube, a train, a bus, walk, a bus, walk etc. So I say "Hang on, I can drive!" - so with one hour to spare, I booked the car, grabbed directions off google maps and that was that. Dead easy to get into the car. Realised we needed an extra hour towards the end, so went back to the car, pressed the phone button and got straight through to the call center so I could extnd the booking. Full marks out of ten so far!

 

[Skim]

Well, I used this for the first time last night. Had a gig to go to in Muswell Hill. We're house (and cat) sitting for someone at the moment, and seeing as it's also in N London we thought we'd easily be able to pop over. No no no! Tfl journey planner says get a tube, a train, a bus, walk, a bus, walk etc. So I say "Hang on, I can drive!" - so with one hour to spare, I booked the car, grabbed directions off google maps and that was that. Dead easy to get into the car. Realised we needed an extra hour towards the end, so went back to the car, pressed the phone button and got straight through to the call center so I could extnd the booking. Full marks out of ten so far!

How did it work out, cost-wise? Was it cheaper than taking a cab? If I thought the service would work out cheaper than cabs, that might clinch it for me...

 

[Crispy]

Well, we used it for 4 hours, so that's £20 - probably a bit cheaper than two cabs for the distance (round trip of 15 miles)

Plus the benefits of leaving bang on the time we wanted, with no hanging around. Also quieter and comfier ride, cos I don't drive like a lunatic cab driver

 

[Skim]

That works out quite well. I'm wondering if it might be worth a go for certain trips... although I'm thinking of using it for nights out when I don't want to rely on a cab. It would mean I wouldn't be able to drink, though

 

[EastEnder]

That works out quite well. I'm wondering if it might be worth a go for certain trips... although I'm thinking of using it for nights out when I don't want to rely on a cab. It would mean I wouldn't be able to drink, though

Cool - you can be the designated driver for urban parties.

We'll all get utterly bladdered and you can do a big round trip, driving us all home.

 

[exosculate]

Sounds good this.

What happens if you damage the vehicle?

 

[Skim]

Cool - you can be the designated driver for urban parties.

We'll all get utterly bladdered and you can do a big round trip, driving us all home.

You'd soon regret it when I start driving erratically and banging on about everything that's wrong with this country – just like a real cab driver.

And I will play Heart FM really loudly too

 

[Crispy]

Sounds good this.

What happens if you damage the vehicle?

Insurance is included in the hourly rate. Hefty £500 excess though. You can reduce that by paying a monthly fee.

 

[Badgers]

From the back of the widely read and recycled Lambeth Life newspaper.

www.carclubs.org.uk

New members offer: Quote the reference LAMBETH when joining and get £20 of free driving time.

Seems to be a fooking great idea and maybe I should get a license (never bothered since getting banned many years ago) for those occasions when a bus won't do.