Imperial College London launches car club

Imperial College London has signed a partnership with Hertz to provide staff and students with access to low-emission and electric vehicles parked on campus

More than 3,000 staff and 13,500 students now have the ability to rent a car by the hour, helping to reduce car congestion on campus through shared vehicle use.

Successfully introduced to the college’s South Kensington and Ascot campuses, the Imperial College Car Club is part of the university’s on-going commitment to reduce its carbon footprint.

A spokesperson for Imperial College London, said: “Using Hertz 24/7 vehicles as our employee pool cars is reducing our reliance on taxis and personal vehicles for business trips between campuses.

"Membership is free and is available to staff and students, including our 300 clubs and societies, for private use outside working hours, providing a convenient and cost-effective alternative to traditional car use.”

Four low or zero emission vehicles are now in use across the college’s campuses.

Three cars – a Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi, an automatic Kia Rio and an all-electric Mitsubishi IMiEV – are at the South Kensington campus, while an additional VW Golf BlueMotion 1.6 TDCi is  in the Silwood Park campus in Ascot.

Further parking bays have also been allocated across the college’s sites in Royal Brompton, Hammersmith, Charing Cross and St Mary’s, Paddington.

Members can book the vehicles online, by phone, or using a smartphone app and, as with all 24/7 vehicles, RFID technology allows keyless entry to any vehicle in the fleet.  

While on the road, members have 24/7 one-touch access to the member care centre through the in-car, hands-free telecom technology.

All 24/7 rentals in the UK include 20 free miles, congestion charge, cleaning, maintenance and VAT, with standard rates starting from £5.50 per hour.

Imperial College London Car Club members will also be able to use the Hertz 24/7 service UK, US, France, Germany, Spain and Australia for hourly, daily or weekly rentals, with any time instant access.

The university is the latest educational institution for Hertz’s 24/7 program in the UK, which also serves Reading University and London’s Brunel University.