Cross-border car-sharing scheme for Northern and Southern Ireland
23/11/2009

The launch of car-share nwA cross-border, bilingual car-share scheme - provided by Liftshare - has been welcomed today by Northern Ireland's Transport Minister, Conor Murphy, and his southern counterpart, Minister Noel Dempsey.

People living primarily in the Donegal, Derry, Strabane and Letterkenny areas will be able to use the Car Share North West website (www.carsharenw.com) in either English or Irish. The new scheme is a direct result of a shared vision developed by the Ministers in the context of their ongoing work in the North South Ministerial Council, and is now delivered following close co-operation between their Departments with the assistance of a range of local bodies.

Minister Murphy said: "This is a welcome new car-share initiative for North West commuters which is free to use and will help to reduce congestion and pollution in the region. Traffic has increased significantly here in recent years, with the high number of single occupancy cars on the roads each day playing a major role in contributing to this issue."

"This is tangible evidence of the benefits of close cross-border co-operation through the North South Ministerial Council," added Minister Dempsey. "It turns fine words and good intentions into a real and valuable service for people in the North West region. For example, two people sharing a daily return-journey between Letterkenny and Derry could save around €1,100 or £1,000 per year. Car-sharing is not only a smarter way to travel but it also puts money back into people's pockets."

Developed by the Department for Regional Development in partnership with Department of Transport in the south, the project is being supported by Derry City Council, Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council, as well as the local Chambers of Commerce and employers including Asda, Altnagelvin Hospital, Axa, Northbrook Technology.

Travelwise first launched its public car-share scheme in the north in 2005 and has to date over 3,000 members with a match rate of 56%, including some cross-border commuters. In February 2009, under the Smarter Travel policy, the Department of Transport outlined the Dublin Government's commitment to the creation of a sustainable travel and transport system including the promotion of car-sharing and supporting this project.

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