Gatwick airport to introduce electric car sharing service

LONDON: London’s Gatwick Airport has partnered with car sharing service Bluecity to provide greater zero-emission transport.

A new car sharing hub at the airport contains 10 electric vehicles and charging stations, with plans underway to add more.

The initiative is one of the steps Gatwick is taking to become more sustainable; it already sources 100 per cent of its electricity from renewables. Guy Stephenson, the airport’s chief commercial officer, said, “Gatwick leads the way on airport innovation and this UK airport first not only offers a new, flexible option for getting on and off the airport, it also improves air quality.”

The partnership creates a cleaner and potentially more affordable way to travel to and from the airport. Users are able to reserve cars in advance using an app which picks them up on arrival. They can then drive the vehicles to any of the 300 pick-up or drop off points throughout London.

The service works both ways as passengers can pick up a car anywhere in the city and leave it at the airport. A typical ride to Gatwick, in moderate traffic, will cost about £15.

“We are particularly proud of this milestone agreement with Gatwick Airport and look forward to our collaboration for years to come. We believe this new service is a fantastic solution for travellers. Our cars are powered exclusively with 100 per cent renewable energy making the service the greenest and most affordable transport option to and from central London,” said Bluecity’s managing director Christopher Arnaud.

This move towards electric vehicles matches a larger national trend emerging in the UK. The government has set out ambitious goals to bring about lower carbon emissions from transport and sales of electric vehicles are reaching all-time highs. It is estimated that there could be upwards of 36 million electric cars on the road by 2030.

Bluecity is the only ride sharing provider in London that uses entirely electric vehicles with 100 zero-emission vehicles currently in use. The company is hoping its partnership with Gatwick will help expand their ride-sharing network and promote clean, zero-emission transportation.