Zipcar's demise means people such as me are back in the slow lane – and stuck needing their own costly car | Phineas Finn

"UK Car-Sharing Club Zipcar to Shut Down: A Setback for Sustainable Transport"

The UK's largest car-sharing club, Zipcar, will be leaving the country in just over a month. The news comes as a major blow to the hundreds of thousands of Britons who rely on car-sharing services, and highlights a worrying trend towards prioritizing private car ownership.

For many, including 28-year-old Phineas Harper, Zipcar was a lifeline. Harper finally learned to drive this year, and became a member in order to use the service for occasional trips. However, with the closure of Zipcar's UK operations, he fears being stuck maintaining a costly vehicle that is only used for less than 1% of the year.

The decline of car-sharing services like Zipcar is a problem. Research suggests that each shared vehicle can replace up to 20 private cars, making them an effective solution to reducing emissions and traffic congestion. However, Britain has been lagging behind its European neighbours in terms of car-sharing penetration.

Zipcar's closure will reduce the total number of shared cars in the UK to just one for every 30,000 people, effectively eliminating car-sharing for many parts of the population. This is a stark contrast to countries like Germany, where there are more than six times as many shared cars per capita.

The government's failure to support car-sharing services is a missed opportunity. Last week's budget showered funding on private car manufacturers, with subsidies for new electric cars reaching £1.95 billion and grants for EV charging infrastructure topping up to £500 million. Meanwhile, car-sharing clubs like Zipcar are struggling to stay afloat.

Arthur Kay, author of the book "Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars", warns that the Treasury is being seduced by the claims of electric car manufacturers and funnelling money into questionable EV rollouts. The truth is that electric cars are no panacea, producing brake and tyre particulates and requiring energy from the grid to run for most of the time.

The closure of Zipcar is not just a business failure, but a warning sign that our transport priorities are out of whack. If we want to build a country built for people rather than parked cars, we need to get serious about sharing. The loss of car-sharing services like Zipcar highlights the need for sustainable transport solutions, and the government needs to act quickly to support these initiatives.

Wow , this is so interesting! I mean, think about it, car-sharing was supposed to be all about reducing emissions and traffic congestion, but now it's being shut down in the UK . It's like, what happened? Did we get distracted by electric cars or something? Like, I know they're "green" and all, but have you seen the prices of them lately? They're like private cars, just with a fancy new badge . And don't even get me started on the subsidies ... it's like, what's going on? We need to rethink our transport priorities and find ways to make sharing work again .

Ugh what's going on with the UK ? They're shutting down Zipcar just when we needed it most? Like, who's gonna help us out with occasional trips now? The gov is all like "funding for electric cars" and I'm over here thinking "where's the love for car-sharing?" It's not like they're gonna magically create more shared cars or something. And btw, research says each shared vehicle can replace up to 20 private cars... it's a no-brainer! We need to focus on sharing, not just making our roads congested

omg this is such a shame i remember my friends using zipcar all the time before they moved abroad it's crazy how much impact they're having on reducing emissions & traffic congestion but i guess the gov't is more interested in supporting electric car manufacturers like what about the people who can't afford to own a car? we need more sustainable transport solutions ASAP

Ugh, I'm literally so frustrated right now ! Like, Zipcar was literally the only way my friends and I could afford to study abroad in London without having to worry about parking and owning a car. Now it's just going to be a nightmare trying to find another affordable option... we're basically stuck with our parents' old cars or taking trains/metros all day. It makes total sense that they were going to shut down tho, though - have you seen how expensive gas is in the UK?

man I'm so bummed about zipcar shutting down it's like they just gave up on this whole shared transportation thing. I totally get why people need cars, but like come on, we gotta be more sustainable ya know? and yeah research shows that shared vehicles can make a huge difference in reducing emissions and traffic congestion... it's crazy how our government is all about supporting private car manufacturers instead of encouraging shared transport I mean what's the point of having electric cars if they're just gonna clog up the roads and produce more pollution? we need to rethink our priorities and invest in more eco-friendly solutions, like bike-share programs or public transport upgrades

[Image of a person stuck in traffic with a sad face]

[Image of an electric car with a red "X" marked through it]

[Animated GIF of a car sharing logo (Zipcar) being replaced by a big "X"]

[A picture of a person sitting alone in a car with a single car on the road in the background]

[Image of Britain's cities with empty roads and high traffic congestion, overlaid with a message that says "What happened to all the shared cars?"]

man this is so sad news zipcar was like a lifesaver for me when I finally got my license last year and now it's just gonna disappear in the uk? that's crazy... i remember reading about how car-sharing services can reduce emissions by up to 20 times per vehicle so it's a shame we're not prioritizing these kinda initiatives more... plus with all the funding going to electric cars now, it feels like the gov is missing the point and we need more sustainable options like car-sharing in the first place

I'm not surprised by this news . I mean, it's been a long time coming. Car-sharing services were always going to struggle in the UK, especially when you consider how much more expensive they are compared to owning your own car. I get where Zipcar is trying to make sustainable transport solutions work, but they just couldn't compete with the private car industry's cash and influence .

I'm worried that we're still going down a path that prioritizes individual ownership over shared transportation. Research suggests that car-sharing services can really make a dent in emissions and traffic congestion, so it's frustrating to see them getting shut down. And yeah, it is weird how the government is pouring so much money into electric cars without supporting sustainable alternatives like car-sharing .

I think we need to be more proactive about finding ways to make shared transportation work for people who can't afford private cars. We need better infrastructure and incentives to encourage people to use car-sharing services. It's not a lost cause just yet, but it does feel like a step back

I think its kinda crazy that zipcar is shutting down . Its like they say "shared is shared" and now people are gonna be stuck with these cars collecting dust most of the year . We really need more car-sharing options in the UK, especially since electric cars aren't all sunshine and rainbows like some ppl make it out to be ️. The govt should be supporting these services instead of backing those car companies who are just raking it in . Its time for a change and we need sustainable transport solutions ASAP

this is just so frustrating , I was all set on getting a zipcar membership but now it's too late... i get that there's been funding for electric cars but honestly who really knows what they're doing? it feels like the gov is playing with fire and not taking sustainable transport seriously enough. we need more support for car-sharing services, not less!

I mean, think about it... 28-year-old Phineas Harper becomes a member of Zipcar to use it for occasional trips, but ends up having to maintain a costly vehicle that's only used like 1% of the year? That doesn't sound super practical to me. And what's up with the government pouring all this cash into electric cars and EV charging infrastructure while car-sharing clubs are struggling to stay afloat? It just seems like they're not considering the bigger picture here. I've heard some research that says shared vehicles can replace up to 20 private cars, so it's like... what's the harm in supporting these services?

I'm so disappointed to hear that Zipcar is shutting down in the UK . This is a huge blow to people like Phineas Harper who rely on car-sharing services for occasional trips. It's crazy how Britain is lagging behind Europe when it comes to car-sharing penetration .

I mean, think about it - with research suggesting that each shared vehicle can replace up to 20 private cars, it's like the government is taking two steps back for every one step forward . And now we're left with a lot fewer shared cars in the UK, making it even harder for people who need them.

I'm not buying into the whole electric car hype . Sure, they have their benefits, but are they really the solution to our transport woes? I don't think so . The truth is that electric cars produce brake and tyre particulates and require energy from the grid, which defeats the purpose of reducing emissions in the first place .

The government needs to get on board with sustainable transport solutions ASAP . We need more support for car-sharing services like Zipcar, not less . It's time to rethink our priorities and build a country that's built for people, not parked cars .

I'm really worried about this... it's not just Zipcar, but the whole car-sharing scene in the UK is getting squeezed out. Electric cars might be a step in the right direction, but they're not a silver bullet. And all that funding for private car manufacturers? It feels like the government's priorities are totally off.

We need to think about the environment and our cities, not just the car companies' bottom line. Car-sharing is an amazing way to reduce emissions and congestion, and it's not like we're talking about people giving up their cars entirely (although Phineas Harper's story is kinda sad). It's all about finding a balance.

I think this closure will have a bigger impact than just on the UK, actually... what if other countries see us going backwards on sustainable transport? We need to do better. The government needs to rethink its priorities and support initiatives that promote sharing, not just private car ownership.