Smart launches pay-as-you drive

Smart is trialling a completely new car use scheme this week, aiming to reduce city congestion while allowing citizens access to low-cost car usage when they need it.

The scheme, christened 'car2go', will be piloted initially in Ulm in Germany, where 50 examples of the Smart Fortwo are to be made available for use within the city on a pay-as-you drive basis.

Having registered once to the scheme, users either book a car (online or on the phone) or simply locate one of the Smarts that form part of the programme.

On locating the car, the user accesses the Smart using a computer chip reader on the exterior of the car and then enters their PIN when inside.

As with many pay-as-you go mobile phone contracts, there will be no minimum charge or deposit. Customers will be charged a simple cost per minute rather than by distance.

Although the 19 cents per minute tariff may sound a little steep, it does cover insurance, taxes and even fuel. Each car has a fuel card in the glovebox should drivers discover they need a top-up.

A user won't come back from his shopping to find someone else has taken the Smart from the supermarket car park either, as it is booked out to them until they are ready to return the vehicle, which may be done at a wide variety of locations, including special parking spaces at the railway station and airport.

The car2go scheme is thought to be a cost effective method of car usage for city dwellers and it's possible that Smart will extend the idea to other large cities in time.

Shane O' Donoghue