URBIGO, a brand new "use-by-the-hour" car share concept for city dwellers will today be unveiled in the inner London borough of Southwark.

 

Urbigo, which is managed by Avis Rent-A-Car Ltd, is being launched in conjunction with pioneering councils Southwark, Sutton and Transport For London and is designed to help save motorists' money and cut congestion in inner cities.

 

The concept of Urbigo is simplicity itself rather like using a mobile phone. Motorists pay an initial membership fee of £160 in return for a personalised high-tech key fob. Then, whenever they need a car to get to a business meeting, to go shopping, or simply to nip out for lunch they phone Urbigo's help line or contact the Urbigo website, arrange to collect the car from their local Urbigo parking bay and head for the open road.

 

Urbigo gives individuals and organisations use of a car, as and when they need one. Usage can be for as little as an hour at a time. That means less traffic in town centres, less pressure on precious car parking space and most importantly offers huge cash savings to individuals and organisations.

 

The official launch of Urbigo follows successful piloting of the scheme in the London boroughs of Southwark and Sutton over the past year. Future plans for Urbigo include further introductions across other key London boroughs and eventually across the UK.

 

Commenting on the launch of Urbigo, Susan Yallop, Head of Marketing, Avis-Rent-A-Car said: "Most car owners, whether they are organisations or individuals, only use their vehicles for a tiny part of the day and, in many cases, commuters use their cars in the evenings and at weekends, the rest of the time, it simply sits there, costing money and depreciating in value. Companies pay for pool cars which may only be used once or twice a day Urbigo is set to change all that."

 

Pre-booked Urbigo cars are parked in special Urbigo collection and drop-off bays and are unlocked using the key fob. Upon return, the driver merely re-locks the car, which automatically records the duration of the usage. The motorist is then invoiced at the end of each month for the hours used.

 

Membership of Urbigo means no garage bills, no tax, MOT or insurance to pay. Cars can be booked as little as 15 minutes in advance and, backed by international car rental giant Avis, there are no worries about the car's reliability.

 

Urbigo also has major advantages for the environment, helping to cut rush-hour traffic congestion and reduce parking problems. Fewer cars also means fewer accidents and less pollution, benefiting the whole community.

 

The official unveiling of Urbigo will be held at Vinopolis on the south Bank on Tuesday 17th September.

For further information contact Urbigo on 0870 902 6900 or visit www.urbigo.com

 

For further information, contact Steve Dunne/Louise Bisoni at Brighter PR on 020 7603 2168 or email steve.dunne@brighterpr.co.uk or louise.bisoni@brighterpr.co.uk

 

 

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