MANCHESTER Airport has joined forces with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to launch what is claimed to be the UK's first commercially-run Employee Car Club scheme. The partnership offers vehicles from the Enterprise fleet to staff at prices starting from £6 an hour in a pilot project which will run until June 2001.

Vehicles will be delivered and collected from a pre-arranged parking area, but as more drivers begin to use the scheme, which costs £25 for lifetime membership, a permanent car park of rental vehicles is expected to be created. Manchester Airport has already trialled projects, including a car sharing scheme run by Budget Car and Van Rental.

The trial has now ended, and the airport says it is still considering whether to continue it. Enterprise is the latest in a number of daily rental firms to launch a car club scheme.