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A volunteer food project in Rotherhithe has distributed a large number of cooked meals each week for two years to elderly residents and needy locals in south London. Yet, their operations face major disruption by the news that they will not have access to New Year’s Day.

This organization depended on Zipcar, the car-sharing company that allowed its cars via smartphone. It sent shockwaves across London when it declared it would shut down its UK business from 1 January.

This means many helpers cannot pick up supplies from the Felix Project, that collects excess produce from supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. Other options are less convenient, costlier, or do not offer the same convenient access.

“It’s going to be affected massively,” said Vimal Pandya, the project's founder. “My team and I are worried about the operational hurdle we will face. Many groups like ours are going to struggle.”

“Knowing the reality, they are all worried and thinking: ‘How will we continue?’”

A Significant Setback for Urban Car-Sharing

These volunteers are part of over 500,000 people in London registered as car club members, now potentially left without convenient access to vehicles, avoiding the burden and cost of ownership. Most of those members were probably with Zipcar, which held a dominant position in the city.

This shutdown, subject to consultation with staff, is a serious setback to the vision that vehicle clubs in urban areas could cut the need for owning a car. However, some experts also suggested that Zipcar’s departure need not mean the demise for the idea in Britain.

The Potential of Shared Mobility

Shared vehicle use is prized by many urbanists and environmentalists as a way of reducing the problems linked to vehicle ownership. Typically, vehicles sit idle on the street for the vast majority of the time, using up space. They also involve large carbon emissions to produce, and people who do not own cars tend to use active travel and take transit more. That helps urban areas – reducing congestion and pollution – and boosts public health through more exercise.

What Went Wrong?

Zipcar was founded in 2000 before its acquisition by the US car rental group Avis Budget in 2013. Zipcar’s UK revenues barely registered compared with its parent company's total earnings, and a loss that reached £11.7m in 2024 gave no reason to continue.

The parent company stated the closure is part of a “wider restructuring across our global operations, where we are taking deliberate steps to simplify processes, improve returns”.

Its latest financial reports said revenues had fallen as drivers took less frequent, shorter trips. “This trend reflect the continuing effect of the cost-of-living crisis, which continues to suppress demand for discretionary spending,” it said.

London's Unique Challenges

However, industry observers noted that London has particular issues that made it much harder for the company and its rivals to succeed.

• Patchwork Policies: With numerous local councils, car-club operators face a patchwork of different procedures and costs that complicate operations.
• New Costs: The closure comes as electric cars becoming liable for London’s congestion charge, adding unavoidable costs.
• Unequal Parking Fees: Locals in some boroughs pay just £63 for a annual electric car parking permit. A floating car club would pay over £1,100 per year, creating a significant barrier.

“Our fees should be one-twentieth of a resident’s permit,” said Robert Schopen of Co Wheels. “We remove vehicles. We’re putting less polluting cars in their place.”

Lessons from Abroad

Nations in Europe offer models for London to follow. Germany introduced national shared mobility laws in 2017, providing a nationwide framework for parking, support and exemptions. Now, the country has 5.4 shared cars per 10,000 people, while France has 2.1 and Belgium has 6.3. The UK trails at 0.7.

“The evidence shows is that shared mobility around the world, especially in Europe, is growing,” commented Bharath Devanathan of Invers.

He suggested authorities should start to treat car sharing as a form of mass transit, and integrate it with train and bus stations. He added that one unnamed client was looking at entering the London market: “Operators will fill this gap.”

The Future Landscape

The company’s competitors can roughly be divided into two camps:

1. Company-Owned Fleets: Which maintain their own cars. Examples Denmark’s GreenMobility, France’s Free2Move, and Germany’s Miles Mobility.
2. Peer-to-Peer Services: Which allow users to rent out their own vehicles via an app – similar to Airbnb for cars. Examples Britain’s Hiyacar and the US’s Getaround and Turo.

Turo, a US-headquartered peer-to-peer platform, is assessing the UK gap. Rory Brimmer, its UK head, said there was a “significant chance” to win more users. “There is a void that is going to need to be filled, because London still needs to move,” Brimmer said.

However, it could take some time for other players to establish themselves. In the meantime, more people may feel forced to buy cars, and others across London will be left without access.

For Rotherhithe community kitchen, the next month will be a rush to find a way. The delivery problem caused by Zipcar’s exit highlights the wider implications of its departure on community groups and the prospects of shared mobility in the UK.