New 24\7 car club launched at Peterborough railway station

People arriving in Peterborough will now be able to access easier onward transport as a result of a new partnership between Virgin East Coast Trains and Enterprise Car Club, which will see vehicles conveniently located at the station.

Wakefield, Durham, Peterborough and Doncaster have been the first four stations to go live with the new car club service. Enterprise Car Club is planning to extend this to other stations along the line in the near future.

The Department for Transport has welcomed this innovation as it actively supports initiatives and partnerships by transport companies to support customers in more “joined-up” travel.

Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said: “It is greatly encouraging to hear about the ways in which Enterprise Car Club and Virgin Trains East Coast are working together to provide sustainable and affordable onward travel options for consumers. I hope these sorts of initiatives can be rolled out to other parts of the UK.”

Tim Hedley Jones, Major Projects Director for Virgin Trains East Coast, said: “We are delighted to be launching this partnership with Enterprise Car Club. It’s important to us that customers have a great door to door experience with Virgin Trains East Coast, which is why we have invested £50 million in on-board refurbishments and improvements. Making our stations even more convenient for onward travel is the next natural step.”

Dan Gursel, Enterprise Car Club, Managing Director, said: “Integrating with key transport hubs is the next evolution of car clubs. They are quickly becoming the go-to option for people who want fast, easy access to a vehicle, wherever they are and at any time. This makes car clubs an excellent option for the increasing number of people who want to ‘train/drive’ as a logical solution for sustainable business and leisure travel.

“Integrating car club, especially at smaller city stations, offers the train customer an easy solution and is a truly innovative approach to broaden travel options for everyone. Virgin Trains East Coast is very much leading the way in this area, and we are very pleased to have been chosen as its partner for this new service.”

The new car club vehicles are all sited in the station car parks and can be quickly and easily booked online and accessed using a smartphone or membership card. Vehicles are available for use 24/7/365, which makes them especially convenient for those travellers needing a vehicle but arriving out of hours when a rental car office may be closed.

Anyone with a credit card and licence valid for the UK can apply for membership via the Enterprise Car Club website or iOS and Android apps. Once the application has been approved, which typically takes just a couple of hours, the member may access vehicles instantly via their mobile device.

Enterprise Car Club uses the latest website and mobile technology to deliver a convenient and user-friendly process for people to apply for membership and then book vehicles. A new driver qualification process also allows applicants to simply upload a ‘selfie’ and a picture of their driving licence to qualify for membership.

Vehicles cost from £4.95 per hour to rent, including petrol and insurance, and from £39.95 per day for members needing a vehicle for more than eight hours.