Holiday Autos to offer electric rental cars in London

Thursday, 19 Dec, 2002 0

Car rental firm Holiday Autos has found a way to help its customers avoid paying the congestion charge in London.

Holiday Autos is piloting a scheme from the beginning of next year to offer electric cars for rental in the city. Electric cars are exempt from the £5 daily charge which is being introduced to Central London on 17 February.

Holiday Autos managing director, Doug Sawers said: “”The charge is yet another drain on over-taxed Londoners. They already pay the highest car insurance and parking fines in the country and are now being saddled with over £1000 more a year just to drive into work”.

At the moment negotiations are still on going with suppliers, but a spokesperson told TravelMole that there would be several electric cars available by 17 February from a number of locations outside the congestion charge zone. She said a price had not yet been decided, but she said the electric cars are unlikely to cost more than £5 over the rental of normal cars, because that would out-weigh the cost savings made by not paying the charge.

If the scheme is a success the company said it might bolster its fleet with other alternative fuel cars, which are exempt from the charge.

The Congestion Charge

The congestion charge is being introduced to try to encourage motorists to travel by public transport, therefore reducing congestion in Central London.

The charging zone is over London City, broadly stretching from Victoria in the South to Kings Cross in the North, and from Aldgate in the East to Hyde Park in the West.

Motorists can pay the £5 charge online or over the phone (tel 0845 900 1234) from three months in advance up to 22:00 on the day of travel. If they pay between 22:00 and midnight on the day of travel, the charge increases to £10.

Cameras relay images of all numberplates to a central database, where they are compared with a list of everyone who has paid, or does not need to pay that day. Anyone who has not paid the charge who should have done will pay an £80 fine reduced to £40 if paid within two weeks.