Chris Marshall: City Car Club members are in the driving seat now

But there is real evidence that the City Car Club is finally beginning to have an impact.

Earlier this week Glasgow announced it is to follow Edinburgh's lead by setting up its version of the club after seeing membership in the Capital grow by 50 per cent in the last year.

Despite a shaky start, experts believe the project has now reached "critical mass", with enough areas of the city covered to make it a viable alternative to owning a car.

The success of the scheme may have been bolstered by the effects of the recession and volatile fuel prices, which have left many drivers questioning the need for their own set of wheels, but it is changing the habits of hundreds of drivers.

From an initial four parking spaces in Marchmont and Sciennes, the scheme has now grown to cover much of the city, allowing users access to a car for an annual fee of 50 and an hourly rental rate from 4.95.

Now seen by planners as a key tool in the city's armoury when it comes to improving traffic flows, the importance of the car club is underlined by the fact that tram stops will come complete with signs advertising the nearest car pick-up point.

Research also shows that those who use the scheme are also likely to drive less often than those who own their own cars, helping benefit public transport and reduce carbon emissions.

But Chas Ball, a consultant with environmental transport charity Transform Scotland who previously helped run Edinburgh's car club, says most converts have been swayed not by its green credentials, but by the economics.

"If you have a car that sits outside your door five days a week, you begin to wonder why you own it," he says. "A lot of the criticism of the City Car Club at the outset was politically driven and was about whether the Labour councillors in charge had the right ideas for the city.

"Now it's stopped being a political issue and has become a practical one."

He says falling parking revenues have shown that volatile fuel prices have had an impact on car ownership, making the car club an attractive proposition for everyone.

"The beauty of the car club is that it's like a shopping trolley – you use it once when you need it and then you put it back. In Edinburgh, it has gradually moved outwards from the city centre and a lot of the early criticism has been defused. It will continue to grow over the next decade, but the challenge is to make it relevant to people in areas that are not served."

From humble beginnings, the City Car Club has steadily grown in the Capital and now has 3,250 members using 63 designated bays. Keith Stark, general manager of the City Car Club in Edinburgh, says the Capital is the best performing scheme of the 13 run in other cities in the UK, including London, with another 14 bays expected to be approved in the coming months.

"People are beginning to realise that you don't need to own a car in the centre of Edinburgh," he says. "We find the major issue is parking and that the cars with the heaviest usage are in areas where there is a particular pressure on parking."

And he says there is evidence to show vehicles are being used for both work and leisure, with streets in the west end seeing heavy usage during the week and residential areas such as Marchmont and Polwarth busier at weekends.

Meanwhile, researchers at Napier University's Transport Research Institute say there is now clear evidence that members of the car-sharing scheme drive less, using public transport for journeys that don't require a car.

"Not having to look for a parking space and the favourable comparison to the cost of owning your own car are probably the chief reasons for its popularity," says the institute's Tom Rye.

Later this year transport chiefs are expected to rubber stamp a major shake-up of parking in the Capital in which the City Car Club will play a crucial role. The prospect of more designated bays may upset some drivers, but it looks like the City Car Club is here to stay.