Croydon Council have partnered with Zipcar to provide an employee car club service after a pilot scheme saved over £500,000 annually and cut car use in half.

In 2010 the council launched a transport review to find a more cost-effective and sustainable fleet solution, resulting in the Zipcar trial.

A review of the pilot saw Croydon Council deliver a cut in car travel costs by 42 percent from 1.3m to 756,000. There was also a reduction in council employee car users by more than half (52 percent) from 1,284 to 611.

The scheme also led to a drop in employee business miles by 42 percent from 1.1m to 642,000 miles per year and reduced employee CO2 emissions by 36 percent, from 324 tonnes to 207 tonnes annually.

As part of the scheme, Zipcar who provides customers with instant access to cars and vans, will provide exclusive use of 23 cars between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.

Outside of these hours the vehicles will be available to Zipcar members in the borough.

Councillor Sara Bashford, cabinet member for corporate and voluntary services, said: "We are very proud of the steps we've taken to improve our transport scheme and are committed to saving taxpayers money, while reducing carbon emissions.

"The immediate impact on car usage and costs is clear and we've established processes to ensure our carbon emissions are checked and evaluated on a monthly basis."

Andrew Edgar, head of Zipcar for Business UK added: "Croydon Council should be commended for taking a forward thinking, innovative and sustainable approach to its transport offering, and for extending the benefits to employees and local residents alike."