SOUTHWARK Council is to investigate the establishment of a car pooling scheme, a move that will further boost its reputation as the UK's greenest fleet. In what the council sees as the most revolutionary response to the Government's white paper on integrated transport, it says it has plans for thousands of residents to share pools of cars as part of a commercially-managed green transport programme.

Southwark has already demonstrated its green credentials by vowing to convert all its 300-strong fleet to run on alternative fuels by April 2000. City car sharing clubs, it believes, can cater for a wide range of needs and uses and can overcome the desire to own a second car that often spends much of its life sitting on the side of the road. There is also scope for businesses to enter the scheme and reduce the need for individual business fleets.

Officers are now investigating opportunities for a city car club sharing project for central London. Members of the club would be able to hire a vehicle for as little as one hour for a shopping trip or several weeks for a holiday. Joining fees would cover insurance, tax and servicing and would cover the cost of the administration of the scheme. Any profit would be ploughed back into the scheme with members enjoying cheap rates based on mileage driven.