Car2go is pulling out of the UK. The car-sharing scheme using Smarts, set up by Daimler and EuropCar, had been operating in three London boroughs since 2012 and in Birmingham since 2013.

In a tweet, the company stated that “The unique challenges we encountered were more significant than expected.” The company blames “the UK’s strong culture and tradition of private vehicle ownership.”

At the same time, the company, which is operating it’s free-floating car-sharing system in 26 cities around the world, extended its operation in California. It will be launching its service in the South Bay of the Los Angeles region on June 6^th. This will be Car2go’s 14^th market in the USA and the first in the LA-region with a 150 Smart Fortwo vehicles.

• Do the Brits cling to their private vehicles too much? Car2go is going.