Metro Bank is to launch its first ‘drive-thru bank’ in a couple of weeks’ time, allowing customers to do their full range of day-to-day banking transactions without leaving their cars.
Metro Bank’s newest store (it apparently dislikes the word branch) in Slough will have a two lane drive-thru. One lane will offer a full counter service during opening hours and the other a cashpoint and ATM.
Failed attempts at drive-thru banking
Drive-thru banking has been around for a while in a number of countries, especially in the US where it’s commonly used. However, previous attempts to introduce it in the UK have fallen a bit flat. For example, Barclays trialled a drive-thru cashpoint in Hatton Cross in the late 90s, but low usage meant the bank scrapped it after just six months. And HSBC had plans to introduce drive-thru banking at a number of its branches in 2007. In the end, HSBC never went through with it.
Metro Bank already has a reputation for doing things a bit differently – including opening seven days a week and providing water bowls for dogs in its stores. The new bank in Slough is also next to a busy dual-carriageway, making it an ideal spot to test whether there’s an appetite for this kind of banking in the UK.
Would you use drive-thru banking?
Metro Bank chief executive, Craig Donaldson believes its drive-thru banking service will ‘offer a whole new level of convenience to customers’. But does it appeal to you?
I’ve used drive-thru cash machines on holiday before and found them pretty useful. If you’re in a rush or the weather isn’t great, being able to get cash without having to leave the car is a bonus. So I can see the appeal of doing your banking this way, as lazy as it sounds.
Having said that, I do pretty much all of my banking online, so I’m struggling to think of an occasion when I’d actually use a drive-thru bank in the UK. Can you?
Would you use drive-thru banking?
No (62%, 160 Votes)
Yes (20%, 52 Votes)
Maybe (18%, 46 Votes)
Total Voters: 258
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