5 reasons why you should car share

This year, we’ve been running a series of activities as part of our transport project to inspire and support people to reduce their car use for short journeys. This includes route planning, fuel-efficient driver training, electric vehicle information events, cycle training, a free bike borrowing scheme and promotion of the Tripshare Fife car-sharing scheme.
In this blog, I am going to give five reasons why you should consider car sharing.
Reason 1 – Meet new people
Meeting new people can sometimes be hard, especially if you are like me and are a shy person. If you work in a big office, car sharing could be a very good way to break the ice with people. The commute to, or back home from, work can be a great chance for you to get to know people. It can also help with team bonding.
Reason 2 – Help the environment
By getting more people into the same car and reducing the number of cars on the road, we will help reduce carbon emissions going into the atmosphere.
Other environmental benefits of car sharing are:
- Fewer cars on the road will lead to less air pollution
- Less demand for gas and oil
- With fewer cars on the road, there will be less need for road expansions and building parking spaces
According to Liftshare, if half of UK motorists received a lift one day a week, congestion and pollution would be reduced by 10% and traffic jams by 20%.
Reason 3 – Save money
Car sharing is a great way to take cars off the road, and reduce the amount you spend on travel at the same time. If you have more people in your car going to work, the football or a gig, then you can split the cost of petrol between the people in the car, thus saving each of you money. Also, if you are going to a place where you need to pay for parking, then you can split that cost too. On average a car sharer in Fife will save around £1050 per year.
Reason 4 – Less Stress
Driving can be very stressful. Sharing the driving and spending more time as a passenger could help reduce your stress levels. Having someone else in the car with you whilst you’re driving can also make a journey much more pleasant!
Reason 5 – Less traffic
Car sharing takes cars off the road, helping reduce air pollution and also helping to reduce congestion. Less congestion = less waiting in traffic jams. A win-win for everyone concerned.
Get started with car sharing by signing up to the Tripshare Fife website. It is free to join and you can search to offer, or look for, a lift. All members’ details are stored securely in a database and only travel information can be viewed by other members. It’s down to you and the other car sharers to decide how you will split the costs, but Liftshare can help you calculate how much you could save. You could also consider setting up a car sharing group for your workplace, community or organisation.
Want to know more? Read Liftshare’s FAQs for more information about how to car share, the benefits and safety tips and advice.
|