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The photographic industry has become one of the fastest to adopt the car club concept, according to new figures from Streetcar for Business, the UK’s largest pay as you go car hire service dedicated to the corporate community.

Part of the highly successful Streetcar brand, the corporate scheme offers a diverse fleet of BMWs, VW Golfs, Polos and Transporter vans and has seen membership soar from 900 to almost 2100 in the last year as organisations choose the service as an alternative to managing their own fleet or using private hire vehicles.

In particular, the number of companies from the photographic sector that have signed up to Streetcar for Business has increased fivefold in a year, as many search for a way to cut costs through the recession.

Commenting on the sector-specific rise, Brett Akker, Streetcar’s co-founder, said: “It’s clear that the current economic climate has forced many companies in the photographic industry to look for innovative ways to cut costs. Streetcar gives businesses flexible and immediate access to a range of new vehicles, cutting out the admin and maintenance overheads associated with running their own transport and affording them significant savings.”

Streetcar offers businesses 24/7 access to vehicles on an hourly basis from as little as £4.21 per hour. As well as the cost savings¹, corporate use of car clubs has been shown to help companies cut their carbon footprint², as well as reduce administration and the risks associated with in-house vehicle maintenance and safety.

Sam Faulkner, a London based photographer said: “I love the flexibility that streetcar gives me. When I am abroad on assignment I don’t have to worry about keeping a vehicle on the street.  With the nearest Streetcar parked just outside my studio, I can load kit straight into the car and getting out of town for jobs is quick and easy. Since joining I have found that we work more efficiently- we are more likely to combine a number of errands around town into one trip; this saves us time and has really reduced our mileage.”

In the residential community, Streetcar has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional car ownership. Consumer membership has more than doubled in just over 12 months to over 75,000 and is expected to rise to 250,000 by 2012³. The scheme boasts over 1000 locations across seven cities; London, Brighton, Cambridge, Southampton, Guildford, Maidstone and Oxford. The company is planning to launch in Bristol in March.

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For all media enquiries, please contact Louise Evans or Charlotte Maule on 01252 725346 or 07891 242476 (out-of-hours)

Notes to editor

• More details about the Streetcar for Business service are available from www.streetcarforbusiness.com

1. When it comes to reimbursing private mileage for employees who drive their own car for business, a huge saving can be made. For example: an employee drives to Leeds from London (190 miles each way) once per fortnight for a meeting, the total comparable costs per year to reimburse the private mileage at the RAC rate of 42.4p per mile is £4,281.72, compared to Streetcar which would be £2,523.20, an annual saving of £1,758.62.

2. Anecdotal evidence shows that many of the organisations which use StreetcarforBusiness have seen a reduction in their carbon footprint. At Surrey County Council, employees are now encouraged to leave their own cars at home and make more use of public transport. This helps reduce congestion around the council buildings, and has reduced the pressure to provide on-site parking for staff.

1. Independent research conducted by Transport for London shows that each car club vehicle on the road replaces an average of 26 privately-owned cars. This is because each car has an average of 40 users and, of those, over half chose not to buy (or replace) a car when they join the club. Streetcar has already taken over 20,000 privately-owned cars off the UK’s streets and is aiming to prevent the emission of around 50,000 tonnes of CO₂ over the next two years.

• Streetcar has recently launched its brand new updated iPhone App which will allow people across the UK to locate, book and even open a car using just their phone. The application, which is free to download from the App Store, will enable existing and prospective members to view availability of the service via their phones. With a few additional taps, members will be able to make a booking and unlock the car while standing right next to it.

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Watch this space for more news on new client Key Noir - coming soon from the Founders and ex-directors of Bebo, Kelkoo, Lastminute, and Yahoo.

Here’s the headline:

Streetcar’s futuristic iPhone app lets you locate, book and unlock your hire car

And the article’s here

Oh we do love techcrunch!

London — January 20, 2010 — Streetcar today announced its Streetcar App for iPhone and iPod touch is now available from the App Store. The app (www.streetcar.co.uk/iphone) allows users across the UK to locate, book and even open a car using their iPhone or iPod touch.

“We are delighted to launch an app that gives the UK’s millions of iPhone and iPod touch users seamless access to the flexibility and convenience of owning a car, without the costs and hassles that go with it,” said Brett Akker, Streetcar’s co-founder. “Our app is so simple to use, it now means people can pass a Streetcar, decide to join and book, open their car and drive it away within minutes, all via their iPhone or iPod touch.”

Alternatively, members can book a car online or over the phone, as little as 30 minutes ahead of time, and use remotely activated smartcards to unlock the vehicle, which is typically within three minutes walk of their home. At the end of the journey the car is returned to a dedicated Streetcar parking space.

Independent research conducted by Transport for London shows that each car club vehicle on the road replaces an average of 26 privately-owned cars. This is because each car has an average of 40 users and, of those, over half chose not to buy (or replace) a car when they join the club. Streetcar has already taken over 20,000 privately-owned cars off the UK’s streets and is aiming to prevent the emission of around 50,000 tonnes of CO2 over the next two years.

The Streetcar App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

Launched in April 2004, Streetcar now has cars in over 950 locations in London, totalling over 1000 locations in the UK including presences in Brighton, Cambridge, Oxford, Guildford, Maidstone and Southampton, with plans to expand into Bristol and other cities in the UK this year. Hire charges start at £4.95 per hour, with the first 30 miles of petrol free. Details and screenshots of the app can be found at www.streetcar.co.uk/iphone

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For all media enquiries, please contact Louise Evans or Charlotte Maule on 01252 725346 or 07891 242476 (out-of-hours)

“London car-sharing club Streetcar has released a new version of its iPhone app that turns your phone into a magic car-opening wand.

The car club, which has over a thousand VW Golfs, Polos and vans scattered over London like petrol-puffing pixie dust, hopes to make its hourly car-hire scheme easier to use by letting members book cars and even unlock them from within the app. more …

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