Sick of that long commute to work? Worried about the possible fuel strikes? There’s not much we here at TotallyMoney can do about the length of time spent travelling to and from your place of work at the moment, you know what with geography and physics and all. However, according to National CarShare if all of the people who drive to work on their own, took one passenger with them just once a week, the amount of commuting car journeys in the UK would fall by 20%. If more people adopted car sharing the roads would be clearer, you’d be able to get to work without pulling out your hair and you’d pay less overall at the pump. If the petrol strikes do go ahead, car-share schemes are also a great way of preserving your precious petrol.
What is car sharing?
Two (or maybe even more) people travelling to the same work place or destination in the same car. Usually the passengers pay a fee to the owner (for petrol) whilst the owner does the driving.
What are the different types of car shares?
- Single driver – One driver within the group does all of the driving and the passengers pay a fee.
- Shared driving – All or many of the people in the group own a car and take the driving in turns be it a daily, weekly or monthly rotation.
- Occasional lift share – If your regular carshare driver has the day off work or you need to go somewhere different you can search most car share websites for a one off lift. Just search for your city, your destination plus the date and time you’d like to travel then select a registered member or journey.
How do I find a car share scheme?
Many car share schemes are informal between friends and work colleagues but many are arranged through car share websites or work place schemes. Ask around at work or look on the bulletin board/intranet at university or work.
There are lots of car sharing websites out there to help you organise your own carpool:
Will car sharing save me money?
According to Liftshare, in 2010 the average car sharer saved over £4 on a 20 mile round trip. Which is a huge saving across and extended period. Liftshare’s website even features a car sharing calculator which will helpfully workout how much money and carbon you can save with each journey and a suggested amount for a sharer to pay the driver (drivers should not make a profit from car sharing or they may invalidate their insurance).
Do you car share? What are the pros and cons for you?
