The world’s biggest car-sharing company, Zipcar, has said it will close its UK operation, removing access to its shared fleet across London at the end of this year.

The company, owned by the US car rental group Avis Budget, said it will suspend new bookings after 31 December, pending the outcome of a consultation on possible redundancies. The UK operating company had 71 staff last year, according to its latest accounts.

The closure will be a blow to advocates of car-sharing as a more sustainable form of personal transport , as well as to some car clubs that relied on Zipcar to share private vehicles.

James Taylor, Zipcar UK’s general manager, wrote in an email to customers: “We are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar and have today started formal consultation with our UK em

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