A car operated by Zipcar as part of a vehicle rental sharing system in London

Zipcar has reached the end of the road in the UK after its US owner pulled the plug on operations in the run up to the introduction of fresh London Congestion Charges for electric vehicles.

The car hire business has begun a formal consultation with employees in the UK and will stop taking new bookings beyond the end of the year, according to a company statement, in a move likely to lead to dozens of job losses.

In an emailed message to customers, Zipcar UK general manager James Taylor said: “I’m writing to let you know that we are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar and have today started formal consultation with our UK employees.

 ”We will temporarily suspend bookings, pending the outcome of this

See Full Page