Once you have joined the scheme and been approved (see how to join) you will be issued with a unique (and completely confidential) membership ID, login name and password that allows you to book your vehicle online at anytime from any computer with Internet access.

Alternatively you can make bookings by telephoning Hour Car at the times listed.

Internet Booking

To book at anytime, log on to http://www.hourcar.org.uk/html/choosebooking.html where you will be able to select the starting location from where you want to book the car. Select the appropriate link which will take you to the page where you can check vehicle availability and/or make a booking direct by using your login and password to access the booking program. You can also use the login to register for a shared (known as rideshare) journey either as a driver offering or as a passenger requesting a lift.

Booking via the website is on a day-by-day basis, so if you wish to book a vehicle continually for more than one day, you will need to book each day separately.

i.e. If you wished to book from Monday at 10am until Wednesday at 10am, you would need to make a booking for Monday 10am to midnight, Tuesday from midnight to midnight, Wednesday from midnight until 10am. The vehicle must be returned to the car station any time that the vehicle has not been officially booked out.

Telephone Booking

Alternatively you can also book by telephone at the times listed, using the schemes' dedicated telephone line where availability of a particular vehicle will be checked and the vehicle booked for you.

When the Hour Car office is not manned, calls to that number, within the times listed, will be forwarded by call-direct to either the parent project's main office or to a team of reliable volunteers. They will check vehicle availability and book the vehicle for you.

If someone else has already booked the vehicle at the time you have requested, you can either choose a different vehicle, book an alternate time or be put on a waiting list in the event of a cancellation.

Vehicles (and rideshare) can only be booked by registered members.

Booking Costs

• The hire charge with the first three hours of any booking is charged at £2.50 an hour. All additional hours (except between 11pm and 8am - see below) are charged at only £1.50 an hour. The minimum hire period is 30 minutes.

  (There is no hire charge for using a vehicle between 11pm and 8am provided you have paid for at least three hours worth of bookings in any given calendar month)

• The Xsara's hire charge is cheeper for short trips only at £1.50/hour. If a trip is more than 3 hours it reverts to the usual hire costs, shown above. Thus 3 hours will cost £4.50 (3 x £1.50) but 4 hours will cost £9.00 (3 x £2.50 + 1 x £1.50)

• You are also charged for the amount of fuel you use at cost. This is currently about 12p for each mile (but 17p a mile for the Berlingo) or part of a mile covered but will change to reflect current fuel prices.

In the event of refuelling, you are required to obtain a VAT Receipt (a debit/credit card receipt is NOT the same as a VAT Receipt and cannot be accepted to reclaim the cost of the fuel) . Post this with your End of Journey Sheet when returning your vehicle. (If the member provides a VAT receipt, an adjustment for the cost of the fuel added will be made in their monthly account) . You will be billed for fuel as normal but the full cost of the fuel you purchased will then be deducted from the total.