For many commuters in the UK, carbon emissions are a serious concern. There are a number of ways to limit the environmental cost of travel. You might take public transport or walk or cycle to work. You might even work from home. If there’s no option but a car, however, then you can slash your emissions and your spending by sharing a car.
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Financial Benefits of Car Sharing
Car sharing (or carpooling) involves two or more people taking a car together on a single trip. Do this consistently over the course of a year, and the savings could be substantial. Not only is it vastly more fuel-efficient to transport many people in the same car (compared with what those same people would spend if they were to each drive their own vehicles).
On top of this, we should consider the costs of maintenance, parking, and insurance. The fewer miles a vehicle is being driven, the less it will suffer from wear and tear – and the less it will ultimately cost the owner. There are organized services that put drivers together, like Liftshare, or you can create one yourself. The former works using apps and the internet to put drivers within a certain vicinity in touch with one another. The latter, obviously, is more flexible – provided that you know other people to share with.
Environmental Impact
When you’re sharing a lift, you’re effectively putting fewer cars on the road. This means less energy is being spent carrying people from one place to another, which means that less fuel needs to be burned, and less carbon is released into the atmosphere.
There’s also a benefit when it comes to congestion. Fewer cars on the road mean less stopping and starting and less demand for new vehicles (which must be manufactured at considerable environmental cost).
Temporary Car Insurance
You might wonder how insurance works when you’re car sharing. One of the best options is temporary car insurance, which will provide cover to drivers who aren’t driving their own vehicle – or who might not even have any other form of insurance. It will allow for greater flexibility and ensure that everyone can plan around the commute.
Getting Started with Car Sharing
If you’d like to get started with car sharing, you might register with a car-sharing service. In the case of Liftshare and other services, this involves signing up and making a public record of the route you’re taking. You can then talk to others who are sharing a similar route at a similar time. You might also start a conversation at work.
For best results, you’ll want to find commuters who are starting and finishing their journeys at similar locations. It’s also a good idea to look for personalities that match your own. If you’re going to be spending lots of time in a confined space with this person, it’s a good idea to ensure that you get on with them!
