A new flexible car club could be the key to reducing traffic and improving air quality in Brent, according to the council.

The scheme was announced by Cllr Krupa Sheth, responsible for environment at Brent Council, who described how the flexible nature of this club would encourage more people to sign up.   

She added that it would be an effective way to reduce private car ownership and indicate a shift towards greener living.

“We all want to improve the air quality in Brent and see fewer cars on the road. This scheme would help us achieve that,” she said.

In its initial stage, 16 per cent of the cars used on the scheme will be electric.

According to Cllr Sheth this represents a “move away from diesel”, and she anticipates that the figure will increase in the future.

Cabinet member Cllr Eleanor Southwood agreed that the programme would provide a much-needed change to the current setup.

Currently, the two car clubs operating in Brent – ZipCar and Enterprise – work on a ‘back to base’ model, which means users must return the car to where they picked it up.

This new model will be ‘location-less’ and it will not be necessary to make a reservation.

Members would therefore have ease of access to cars nearby and would be able to park up wherever once they were finished.

Cllr Southwood said: “I completely support this. Car club usage has flatlined and it’s getting harder and harder to encourage people to join in.

“This will be a really helpful way to boost numbers and I can’t wait to see it in Brent as soon as possible.”

The three-year contract was awarded to DriveNow, which has successful schemes across Europe and already has 450 members signed up in Brent.

For those wishing to join, there is a one-off registration fee of £4.99. Cost of use varies from 33p to 39p per minute depending on the car, and hourly and daily rates are available.