What has gone wrong at Zipcar and is UK car-sharing market dead?

"The company caused shock across London on Monday when it said it would shut down UK operations from 1 January. It will mean many of the volunteers will be unable to collect food from the Felix Project, a charity that gathers surplus food from supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. Obvious alternatives are further away, more expensive, or do not offer the same flexible hours."

"The community kitchen's drivers are among more than half a million people in London registered as car club members in 2020, and who could be left without convenient access to cars and vans, without the hassle and cost of ownership. The vast majority of those people were likely to be members of Zipcar, which had a near-monopoly position in the city."

Rotherhithe Community Kitchen has delivered hundreds of cooked meals weekly to pensioners and vulnerable residents for two years. The group relied on Zipcar vehicles to collect surplus food from the Felix Project, and the planned UK shutdown from 1 January will prevent many volunteers from accessing vehicles. Alternatives are farther away, more expensive, and less flexible, creating a major logistical challenge for volunteers and beneficiaries. More than half a million Londoners were registered as car club members in 2020, most likely Zipcar users, and the closure threatens convenient access to cars and vans across the city.

Read at www.theguardian.com