Car sharing is when two or more people travel together by car for all or part of a journey. One of the people travelling is usually the owner/driver of the vehicle and the other(s) usually contribute towards fuel costs.

Car sharing can be formal (by using an organised car share scheme) or informal (like travelling with friends or work colleagues).

Why Car Share?

One of the main benefits is reducing the amount of money you spend on fuel and parking. An average car commuter drives 12 miles per day; cutting that by half through car sharing will save about 170 litres of fuel, which equates to approximately £200 per year! In addition, you will also reduce your parking costs.

Other reasons to car share include increasing your personal safety, as sharing your journey may mean you walk to and from the car with somebody else. Also, in the longer term, as more people take part in these schemes, fewer cars will be on the road, which in turn will reduce congestion and lower carbon emissions.

Don't forget, nearly every journey has the potential for car sharing, from regular journeys like travelling to work or taking the children to school, to one-off trips like going to an event, festival or show that many other people are attending.

Even if you don’t drive, you can still car share. Sixty per cent of car drivers would be willing to share a car to work if there was someone suitable to travel with.