WOULD you let your work colleague drive your car?

That is what staff at Adur and Worthing councils are being asked to do.

The councils have teamed up with nationwide car-sharing service HiyaCar for the scheme which is described as “Air BnB for cars”.

They say it will cut the costs of business travel and reduce the need for pool cars, making savings that could be channelled into other areas.

Staff who sign up must be prepared to let colleagues rent their car for business during the day.

They get £5 an hour for doing so, capped at £20 a day. The renter pays nothing and the council subsidises the scheme.

Councillor Diane Guest, executive member for environment at Worthing Borough Council, said: “HiyaCar is a simple and cost-efficient way to undertake business travel in a sustainable and community-spirited way.

“It’s a win-win for everyone involved and will enable the councils to be leaders by example for the wider community.”

The councils said it was “free to sign up for” and HiyaCar receives “only a small percentage of the rental cost”.

If it is a success, employees’ cars could be offered to the wider community to hire.

Users choose the car they want to hire, book online and collect it from a pre- arranged place.

Drivers and cars are vetted by HiyaCar, which also provides separate insurance and breakdown cover for rented vehicles.

There’s also a tracking system for extra security and peace of mind, allowing users to know where their cars are at all times.

The authorities are pioneering the use of keyless technology for the service.

It works through a downloadable phone app which connects to a special device in the car that unlocks it at the press of a button so no exchange of keys is needed.

Councillor Emma Evans, Adur District Council’s executive member for environment, said: “I’m delighted the councils are leading the way with this innovative service and are helping to develop it by trialling keyless technology.”

The HiyaCar service, which was founded in 2015, is already widely available to private individuals across the country.

Phil Makinson, HiyaCar’s chief commercial officer, said: “Adur and Worthing Councils are setting an example for other organisations around the country that could significantly benefit from changing their current way of providing cars for business use by supporting peer-to-peer car sharing.

“This is just the beginning of better car usage for the councils and local community.”