Gatwick’s partnering with Bluecity to roll out electric car-sharing
Gatwick is upping its green credentials by partnering up with electric car-sharing firm Bluecity.
A new electric point-to-point car-sharing service is being rolled out at the Airport to make it easier for passengers travelling to and from the airport – as well as making their journeys more environmentally-friendly.
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Gatwick said the tie-up – which will involve five charging points being introduced at the airport in the next few months – will help contribute to its plan to cut its carbon footprint in half by 2020.
Passengers will be able to collect vehicles from Gatwick and drop them off at dedicated charging points across the capital.
Gatwick's chief commercial officer Guy Stephenson said:
"Gatwick is the forefront of driving greater sustainability into aviation and aims to be the UK's most sustainable airport by 2020. This innovative new car-sharing service also gives additional sustainable transport choices to 42m passengers now travelling through Gatwick each year, plus [21,000] people employed across the airport campus. "
French firm Bolloré runs the electric car-sharing scheme, which has already proved a hit with Parisians who pay as they go, with 3,600 Bolloré cars spread across the French capital. An equivalent scheme for the capital has taken longer than expected due to dragging contract talks with London's local councils.
Bolloré's Blue Solutions division had previously said it was aiming to get 3,000 electric cars on London's streets by 2018 but agreeing on infrastructure has pushed it back. Bollore said it had been easier to establish in Paris as the mayor has greater power to push boroughs to bring in crucial infrastructure.
Cedric Bolloré, director of development at Bolloré said: "We are convinced that electric vehicles are the future and the solution to reducing air pollution in the UK."