Metacarpool is a small, informal car-sharing club started by a group of friends in 2003. It runs on trust along cooperative lines – although it’s not formally constituted. Admin and car care tasks are shared between the members – about 16 of us at present.
How it works
We currently have four cars. One of them usually lives on Sholebroke Mount, one in Vicars Terrace and the other two are located halfway down Spencer Place. Modern car keys are expensive to clone, so picking up a car usually involves first collecting a key from the keeper.
Bookings (via Google Calendar) are on a loose and negotiable first-come-first-served basis: if someone needs a car for a lengthy period, at a time of likely high demand, or for a regular series of bookings, best practice is to email the group first.
Users record the time and mileometer reading in the log sheet at the beginning and end of each trip, along with any legitimate expenses (including fuel, as this is covered by the mileage charge). The data is transferred to this website’s database once a quarter, and invoices are sent out.
Charges
There’s a £50 annual membership charge per account.
There’s an hourly charge of £1.00, capped at £15 for any 24-hour period.
Mileage charges are: 20p/mile for Citroen, Polo and Fiesta, 25p/mile for 7-seat Zafira.
Joining
From time to time we take on new members who meet our eligibility rules. If you live in Chapeltown and would like to be considered for membership, Get in touch and we’ll sound out the current members about whether we have sufficient capacity for another driver.
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