Car Sharing

What is car sharing?

The concept of car sharing is simply allowing people to commute together who are already heading to or from a similar destination.

You could car share as the passenger or the driver, either with people you know or part of a scheme simply by sharing together as you are travelling in the same direction. With various sustainable travel options becoming more prevalent, some might confuse the difference between car share and car clubs. Car clubs on the other hand, is driving a vehicle that is provided by the car club itself, and renting it by the hour or day, depending on your chosen service. Car clubs do not consist of sharing the car itself with another person unless you want to, but car sharing requires you to share a journey and the car with another person.

When should you car share?

There are no rules when it comes to car sharing, the main goal is to share as and when deemed possible. This could be for work shifts, a weekly food shop, studies even for a regular hobby you may attend. Speak with friends, work colleagues or neighbours and see if you can adapt at all to reduce your single car usage.

Car sharing is becoming increasingly popular, with many options in the UK. If you live in the East of England, Liftshare is the main car sharing platform. It allows users to sign up either as a driver or a passenger, so you have more options over and above your own friends and work colleagues.

Why should you car share?

Does the TV show Peter Kay’s car share ring a bell? The British sitcom surrounds the daily car journey between colleagues and friends John and Kailey. The occasion came as they were given a company car, with one condition that they must share their journey in. The show gives you an insight of what a car share journey is like, and how a lonely, monotoned journey atmosphere can be lifted by having an extra person with you.

The National Travel Survey showed that 67% of responses stated that lift sharing would be cheaper than travelling alone. Regular sharers can save up to £1,000 a year on car sharing. Costs such as parking, maintenance, and fuel are heavily reduced or avoided by car sharing. To check specifically how much you can save from your journey, use the savings calculator by Liftshare here.

It is no surprise that transport is the largest source of emissions. Single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) contributes to 15 billion kg of Coâ‚‚, totaling 82% of emissions per year in the UK. Although alternatives such as cycling or walking to work is a great way to help contribute to the environment, statistics show that if 82% of people do not change their habit of driving in an SOV, it will not help reduce any emissions at all. Therefore, it is not enough to help offset the carbon emissions made.

Census data insight shows us that 64% of the journeys made by car drivers are due to the lack of public transport or any active travel options. Therefore, by sharing a journey can help reduce carbon emissions significantly. One of the millions of commuters in the UK said in an 2017 interview, that he was stuck in the traffic on the motorway, and when looking around, all he saw was drivers sitting without passengers. If half of the cars were car sharing, how much of the traffic would be reduced by? Studies show that an estimate of 38 million empty seats are on the roads in the UK every weekday, but if you car shared with someone, it is effective to take 10 cars off the roads in the UK a year.

Getting started is simple and completely free. The steps are as follows:

1. Sign up and activate your email address
2. Add your journey
3. Find a match
4. Confirm your Liftshare
5. Travel happy!

After signing up, you may personalise your profile with a picture and a short bio.

Is it safe?

Liftshare considers the importance of data safekeeping. As a Liftshare member, your personal details are safe, only your first name and biography are visible to other users when you offer or request a lift. Other information such as your location information is filtered, meaning that Liftshare only shows the first part of your postcode and the street name. If you have provided your house number on the system, this will not be shown to other members. Your mobile number is only shared with your driver or passenger once your booking is confirmed. If you’d like to read more about how Liftshare safe keeps your data, click here, or get in touch with us for travel advice.

If insurance is the issue that keeps you back from car sharing, don’t worry. The Association of British Insurers clearly states that car sharing won’t affect the insurance of their members so long as a profit is not made. If you would like to learn more about what legal and insurance implications are for car sharing, please visit Liftshare.com.