Car clubs. I’ve kept my eye on them. But I’ve not been sure whether these were just a passing fad – the idealism of a local community that would fizzle out after a while – or a genuine transport solution.

So I was pleased to have the chance to understand more from Zipcar. Especially now that daily rental firm Hertz is getting in on the car club idea

Zipcar operates from London. But its HQ is Boston, America. It has 250,000 members with a presence in more than 50 cities, including San Francisco and Vancouver, Canada.

The idea is simple. You pay a membership fee. This gives you a Zipcard which unlocks the car from its designated parking bay. You then rent it for the time you want, before returning it – usually after one to three hours.

For small businesses operating in London, it seems like a highly cost-effective means of getting transport when you need it.

I met Paul McLoughlin, Zipcar’s general manager and Laura Abrar, the pr manager.

Paul reckons that car club’s time has come.

“London has the potential to be the biggest car sharing opportunity in the world,” Paul said. “It has a high density population, good transport, and the support of Transport for London. For businesses, it can save them money – they don’t need to own a car – and it’s more environmentally friendly. We look at it like this: it’s using cars to reduce car usage.”

It sounds a good idea, particularly in this challenging economic climate. The cars are modern – MINI Cooper, Audi A3, Toyota Prius – and the London Congestion Charge is included in the £4.50 per hour flat rate.

There are drawbacks. You might not be able to get a car near you if you suddenly need it; and you have to specify when the car is to be returned; otherwise it could upset the system. So it needs users with a conscience. And it is only London-based, although other car clubs do exist around the country.

The chat wasn’t all work, though. There was rugby, too. As readers might know, I’m a Harlequins season ticket holder.

Turns out Paul was a former London Irish rugby player when the team were based at the fabulous Lower Sunbury ground – and not the rather soulless Madejski Stadium in Reading where the team currently resides at the top of the Premiership. I seem to recall we lost to Irish last time we met. Hmmmm…

For more on car clubs, read the blog: Optimising car parking availability. London has potential to be world’s biggest for car sharing