Banbury men answer the 4 per cent car use problem with home-delivery, electric car hire

Those wanting to hire a car occasionally rather than keep one sitting, unused, on the driveway can choose a Zimbl vehicle

Richard Devitt and Andrew Christoforou came up with their cost-saving, home-delivery car hire solution after reading an RAC survey that said on average, people’s cars are driven for just one hour a day.

“That’s a very expensive four per cent of the time,” said Mr Devitt, who, with his business partner, came up with Zimbl – an electric car hire fleet.

“When we realised average driving time in the UK was just one hour a day we started to calculate the cost of that hour. With finance payments, insurance, tax, maintenance, not to mention depreciation and the cost of fuel, we calculated a conservative £22 per day for a very average new car,” said Mr Devitt. “And if you own a second car that figure skyrockets.”

Zimbl cars are delivered to drivers within a three mile radius of Banbury town centre

Zimbl is a simple idea. It is a car hire platform allowing a driver to rent a brand new electric vehicle (EV) for just the hours or days they actually need it. No subscription or membership fees. Drivers only pay for the hours the car is hired and the amount of battery used.

Vehicles are delivered and collected from any address within a three mile radius of Banbury town centre, which potentially makes Zimbl very useful for local commutes, shopping trips, school runs, days out - and if you already own a car, those occasions when your existing vehicle is out of action.

“We wanted to create something that feels as close to owning a car as possible without the cost, hassle and environmental impact that goes with it,” said Mr Devitt.

“By sharing a single EV among multiple drivers on a daily basis we save drivers money, cut down on the number of cars parked in our streets and car parks, and reduce pollution in and around the town. Plus all our cars are charged using 100 per cent biofuel.”

Towns and cities are seeing the benefits of shared transport and Zimbl hopes to be a part of this new movement by offering Banbury the convenience of private car use at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact.

See www.zimbl.co.uk or email [email protected]