Car Sharing

Lift sharing is where two or more people agree to share a car journey. It can be done on a one-off basis, such as for a particular event, or on a more regular basis, such as for commuting or regular shopping trips.

The benefits of lift sharing compared to driving alone include:

· Reduced petrol / diesel costs

· Less wear and tear on your vehicle

· Reduced mileage and depreciation

· Fewer cars competing for parking spaces

· Less traffic congestion on the roads

· Smaller combined carbon footprints

· Less air pollution created by rush-hour commuters

How does it work?

The person getting the lift gives the driver a cash contribution towards the fuel costs, so both of them save money compared to driving alone. The amount of money that changes hands is up to the parties concerned, but the driver must not make a profit. Alternatively, if driver and passenger share on a regular basis and each owns a car, they may prefer to simply take it in turns to drive.

How do I find people to share with?

You can register your journey with a lift share provider, which then seeks to match your journey with other people making a similar journey. You can register as a driver, as a passenger or both.

There are a number of lift sharing websites that are available for use by the general public. Some are free to use, while others have a small annual membership charge. Examples include:

http://www.freewheelers.co.uk/

http://www.gizalift.com/

http://www.isanyonegoingto.com/

http://www.liftshare.com/

http://www.mylifts.com/

http://www.nationalcarshare.co.uk/

http://www.shareacar.com/

Many larger employers and business parks also have private lift share schemes, run solely for their employees. This provides additional peace of mind for users of the lift share scheme, since they know that they will be sharing with a colleague.

For further information on lift sharing, please contact the council's Transport Policy Team on 01628 796097 or email on transport.planning@rbwm.gov.uk.

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