08.09.06 You could cut your petrol consumption in half...

del.icio.us digg Technorati Furl reddit SPURL.NET
9 comments 120 votes

Would you share a lift to work if it was convenient?
If someone in your neighbourhood commutes to roughly the same place at the same time, you could split the petrol costs and cut congestion.

Lift sharing is something that a lot of mums do (they team up with other mums to take children to school) but it's not something that many other people do.

However, in the last few years, thousands of people have discovered Liftshare.org. You can register your journey on the national website and see who else commutes in the same direction as you. You will probably be surprised at the number of people going in your direction.

It is Travelwise Week soon and sharing a lift to work is a great way to contribute. If you have tried lift sharing, tell us about your experience below.

Your Comments

Click here to add your comments

I am very wary about lift sharing. There is the danger element that these days you do not know who you are picking up. There is the inconvenience element that the person you are supposed to pick up is not ready when you are. There is a back seat driver element, in fact too many elements. I prefer to travel on my own

Posted by Sylvia Penn, 10th September 2006 1:15pm

I currently spend £260 a month on commuting and teavel in excess of 30000 miles a year.

If i could find somebody to car share with, I would happily do so.

Simple economics is what would do it for me.

Posted by Stephen W, 11th September 2006 9:36am

Surely the place to start with lift sharing is your own workplace? If you work somehwere big, do you have a noticeboard that you can put a small ad up on? That way you can find someone who's been vetted by your employers (they obviously don't think they're too crazy), and you could even meet somehwere neutral (ie work) to sort out details- giving you a chance to call it off if you feel uncomfortable.

Posted by Al Storer, 12th September 2006 9:51am

Liftsharing is not possible for me as I drive to about 3 schools a day as part of my job as well as to and from the schools to my home in the morning and evening. My dream is to be able to cycle to work as it is a great way to stay in shape and it is completely free. Just do the sums and work out how much you would save each year - probably enough to buy a new computer plus more. So if you can, get on your bikes, then you are really lucky.

Posted by Rob Rattray, 14th September 2006 8:13pm

if can save alot by going on a bike, how many times do you see a cyclist
go by you when you're queing in traffic, i save around £800 a yr on fuel, only go in car if it is bad weather.

Posted by Ian Collis, 19th September 2006 3:57pm

I would switch to taking the children by bus to school for example - but you cannot buy child priced season tickets on the bus - you either have to buy daily tickets - or buy them a season ticket at adult prices - and this is for a 7 and 10 year old!!!

Crazy!

Posted by Ian, 21st September 2006 10:50pm

I live 5 miles from my local town (Welsh Borders) and, in an effort to reduce my fuel consumption (and carbon footprint) and improve my health, I started cycling there and back at least 3 times a week. It quickly became almost every weekday (so I could buy fresh food daily) and I now enjoy it so much that I deliberately take longer ways there/back and achieve anything up to 100 miles a week.

Over the past year I have cycled about 2,500 miles which, at 50mpg, would have cost me about £225, and has reduced my weight by 3kg.

And I feel so much better too.

Zurt

Posted by Zurt Vortex, 29th September 2006 9:17am

I too was very wary about a lift share (I think women are more wary for obvious reasons) but I logged on to liftshare.com and put it my obscure journey, not really expecting any response. However, a month or so later I had a reply from a guy.

We e-mailed then met up on-route in a pub for a chat and drink. He seemed an OK sort of chap and he gave me his business card and home number (which I copied to a few people just in case) so we started the lift share.

We have been sharing for a couple of months now and have each saved a fortune in petrol. So, I really do think it's worth considering - you have to follow your gut instincts of course and let a number of people know any details.

Posted by Margaret Stedman, 5th October 2006 2:06pm

I dont see lift sharing as an option in this day and age.
I certainly couldn't share a lift with someone to work for example as I may have to work over if there is a problem. What do I/they do then? Sit around waiting for me? Or do I get public transport home for pathetic prices and bad service? No thank you.
This is as bad as the pathetic idea of mortgage sharing which has come about recently. What about when these people want families and want to move on? If house prices hadn't become so stupid in the first place we wouldnt be in this mess.
Im getting sick of all these stupid ideas. This country is going down the pan.

It is your resposibility to get to work, so if you lift doesnt turn up its YOUR job you are risking.

I have know people who have lost their jobs through bad attendance because of lifts not turning up. How much money are they saving now??

Posted by Dean Bloomfield, 26th October 2006 9:33pm

This comment has been removed as it was found to be in breach of our Blog Policies.

This comment has been removed as it was found to be in breach of our Blog Policies.

Please ensure your comments comply with our Blog Policies or your comment may be removed.
Full Name: *
Email Address: *
Comments: *
Enter the code you see to the left into the text box below.
 

Your email address is required so we can verify that the comment is genuine. It will not be posted anywhere on the site, will be stored confidentially by us and never given out to any third party.

Please note that any viewpoints published here as comments are user's views and not the views of PetrolPrices.com (Fubra Ltd)

« Go Back to Main Blog