French car sharing app Ubeeqo is targeting London Underground users with a new out-of-home campaign aimed at encouraging consumers to make use of its app, which combines car sharing, car rental and conventional taxi hire features.

The app, which was acquired by car rental service Europcar last year, has focused its campaign on the impractical nature of owning a car in London, and by targeting consumers making use of the Underground, is hoping that its service will appeal to people who only have occasional need of a car.

Over 500 posters have been deployed across 12 lines, with especially high visibility on the District and Northern Lines, sharing statistics like the fact that 95 per cent of a cars lifetime is spent stationary in the UK, and the average annual cost of owning a car is over £6,500.

“It really makes no sense at all for someone living in London to own a car and our ad campaign highlights this absurdity to London Underground users,” said Benoit Chatelier, founder and CEO of Ubeeqo. “With Ubeeqo, Londoners gain the flexibility and convenience of a car, whenever they need it, but without the associated running costs of car ownership.

“This campaign is about promoting an alternative to car ownership that offers more independence and versatility for modern, city living.”

As the worlds of automotive and mobile grow more and more intertwined, and innovations like the autonomous car get closer and closer to reality, many experts are expecting a shift in how car ownership is viewed, with more and more people happy to simply rent or hire vehicles as they are needed, rather than locking themselves into the expenses of permanent car ownership. Even large-scale auto manufacturers like GM have begun to prepare for this trend, making investments in car sharing services like Lyft.