Making Car Sharing and Car Clubs Work - Case ... - The Civil Service

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MAKING CAR SHARING AND CAR CLUBS WORKCASE STUDY SUMMARIESSupporting Measures / Alternative Approaches Considered20.10 All members of the A2B Smart Travel Club (of which there are over 300, including the 140potential and existing car club members), which is free to join, are entitled to journeyplanning advice. The Club supports use of the full range of alternatives to single occupancycar use/car ownership, including walking, cycling, bus and rail use, as well as the car club.20.11 A2B has a good relationship with local public transport operators. It offers discounts on bustickets to members, and is working with Wessex Trains on a proposed joint marketinginitiative which would, in part, encourage tourists to travel to the area by rail, then use a carclub vehicle for local journeys once there.20.12 As mentioned above, a proposed internet-based ridesharing scheme has been shelved dueto difficulties gaining appropriate insurance.Integration with Other Schemes20.13 There is a reciprocal arrangement in place allowing A2B members to use the vehicles of carclubs in Bath and Bristol as well as other UK cities with car clubs under the Smart Moves‘umbrella’, and vice versa.20.14 A2B provides a taxibus service for Bradenstoke, a relatively isolated village with very limitedpublic transport, but with a high proportion of elderly residents. The taxibus linksBradenstoke to the neighbouring village of Lyneham, from which there are frequent bus linksto surrounding towns, such as Chippenham and Swindon.20.15 The A2B prospectus states: “We have strong links with Car Plus, Richard ArmitageTransport Consultancy, Wiltshire County Council, the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership, theAssociation of Community Rail Partnerships, First Bus, and the Association of CommuterTransport. This enables us to research ideas and tap into resources for advice and support”.Marketing and Promotion20.16 Grant Pearson, the car club manager, comes from a marketing background. The marketingtools employed to date include the following:Two leaflet drops to all households in the Bradford on Avon and surrounding area,reaching approximately 8,800 people. A third drop to around 300 local businessesoffering corporate membership.A website (www.a-2-b.com) with regularly updated news pages, hits on the websitecurrently average 1,500 each month.E-newsletter, sent to the 300 plus Smart Travel Club members and other interestedparties.A display stand, designed in house, which is regularly used at events ranging frommarket day in Bradford on Avon to the biennial West Wilts Show.A2B has made the national TV news, as well as featuring on the local radio and TV. Italso has quite regular coverage in the local press.Final V1.1, Dec. 2004 - 118 -
MAKING CAR SHARING AND CAR CLUBS WORKCASE STUDY SUMMARIESThe branded cars are used as marketing vehicles themselves. They display messageslike: “Yours for around £1 a week”, and “The smart person’s second car”.Leaflets dispensers are located at the railway station, corner shops, supermarkets, thelibrary, etc.20.17 The car club manager drew some interesting distinctions between the marketing needs ofrural and urban car clubs, including the following. “Word of mouth is a much more importantand powerful marketing tool in rural areas. But it can act in both a positive and negative way,if someone has a bad experience in a village or small town, word spreads like wildfire.”Example A2B leafletsFinancial Performance / Targets20.18 A2B Car Club had a target to have 30 signed-up members by the end of the three year RuralBus Grant funding window, which finished spring 2004. This was not achieved: the currentmembership is just two-thirds of this number (20).20.19 A three-year grant from the Countryside Agency to develop the car club, including staffcosts, will cease at the end of March 2005.Research and Development20.20 A2B has engaged in a fair amount of market research. During the start-up phase, 4,000questionnaires were distributed to passengers on the local rail network. It sought people’sperceptions of the nature of transport problems in the Bradford on Avon area, and mootedpossible solutions to these problems, including the idea of a car club. Those among the 200or so respondents who expressed an interest in the car club concept formed the basis of the‘potential members log’, and have since received more personalised marketing. “We’reaware that it takes around 18 months – and lots of hand-holding – between somebodysaying ‘that’s a good idea’ to them actually doing something about it. And, of course, noteveryone stays the course: from 100 who express a sincere interest, we might hope toeventually see one third become new members.”Final V1.1, Dec. 2004 - 119 -
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