We all know that owning and operating a car is not a very environmentally friendly thing to do, in fact researchers and different car companies are trying to find alternatives to the traditional fuel-guzzling automobile. These come in the form of high efficiency cars and today it is quite commonplace to see a hybrid car in most auto dealers, becoming a more viable option for purchase.

All that said however, there is still an argument that the only way to truly reduce the impact that we are having on the environment through automobiles, is to actually decrease the amount that we drive. But unless you live in the center of a city, or have a lot of spare cash to take a taxi whenever you need one, this isn’t really an option for most of us.

Well roll on the car clubs. This idea is still relatively new in metropolitan areas, but is definitely taking off. The general gist of it is that everyone in the club pays a membership fee, they are processed through the company and then get a card. Whenever you need a car you can look online and find one of many ‘parked’ cars that are near you. You rent it out for a certain amount of time, open it with your card, drive it around, then when you are done return it to where it was originally parked. You pay per hour depending on the type of car, but the company covers insurance, congestion charge, gas, and the upkeep of the car.

The largest of these companies is Zipcar, which owns cars all over the world. And if you are traveling, and find yourself needing a car in Toronto or New York, you can just as easily book a car and open it with the same card you use on this side of the ocean. All of this sounds too good to be true, so I figured living in the middle of London I should try it.

It has been two years since I have joined, and I haven’t looked back. Not only do I need to worry about my car, but I can choose the car that I need for the journey, from small get around cars to sleek date cars, they are all at my fingertips and located all over London. And with the recent purchase of Streetcar, Zipcar will just keep getting bigger and better. So if you’re not really fussed about owning what you drive, I totally recommend giving a car club a chance.