liftshare news

Music industry gets serious about cutting CO2 emissions

As the music industry commits to making festivals more environmentally-friendly, more festival-goers than ever are being helped to car-share this year - for a green, affordable and fun way to get to their event.

Around 20,000 people have now joined liftshare's festival site, www.FestivalBUDi.com. The website helps music fans find someone else travelling the same way so they can share their journey to any of 25 festivals around the UK.

"Car-sharing was brilliant because it reduced our travel costs drastically, and everybody actually got there more cheaply than we would have done with the public buses the festival puts on," said Olly Cotterell, who car-shared to Creamfields Festival from York last year. "And as a result of sharing with four complete strangers, I also managed to make four great friends who I still keep in contact with today."

"Forty-three per cent of the music industry's greenhouse gas emissions come from audience travel to music events," said Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare. "So it is really encouraging to see the industry take its environmental responsibility so seriously, and put in place ways to help festival-goers genuinely cut their CO2 emissions.

"The fact that, by car-sharing, they often save a considerable amount of money and make great new friends into the bargain is just the icing on the cake!"

For the full Julie's Bicycle report, go to www.juliesbicycle.com/research ('Audience travel emissions from festivals').

liftshare scoops two national awards

liftshare has once again proved itself to be one of the big hitters in the transport and environment sectors, winning two national awards in the space of two days.

At a ceremony last Wednesday, founder Ali Clabburn accepted the RTPI's Transport Planning Network Award 2009 for "outstanding contribution to promoting sustainable transport at a local level". The following night, he received the IHT / Parsons Brinckerhoff Environmental Award.

"IHT welcomed this entry as an example of a well-planned and self-funded social enterprise that has exceeded its own performance targets for membership," said David Tarrant, president of the IHT (Institution of Highways and Transportation). "It passes the 'would my mother/children use it?' test, and we believe it is a sustainable and innovative idea with the potential to be rolled-out widely as it is potentially a strong commercial proposition and is a smart solution for those who live and work in the UK."

Chris Ferrary, Chair of the RTPI / TPS Transport Planning Network, said: "liftshare makes an excellent contribution to promoting sustainable transport and meeting the climate change agenda. It proves that a good idea can work very well indeed. A deserved winner."

"It is a great privilege to see liftshare recognised by both of these highly respected organisations," said Ali. "We were quite surprised to win when we saw the competition we faced, and indeed what is a particular joy for me is for us to be held up as an example of best practice for both transport planning and the environment.

"It is not easy to achieve something which succeeds in both fields - but we pride ourselves on our dedication and innovation, and awards like this demonstrate that we are achieving our mission."

It's time to change your world

Swap just one car trip between 29 June - 4 July, and walk, cycle, car-share or take public transport instead. This is the week to join with thousands of others and Change Your World.

Amazingly, if we all take this one small action together, car traffic will reduce by ten per cent, giving us healthier journeys, cleaner air and quieter streets.

If this sounds like good car-ma to you, give it a go. You can take your first step now at www.changeyourworld.org.uk and you may even win a holiday at Bluestone in Wales.

Change Your World is run by the charity Sustrans

Guerrilla marketers go undercover to promote liftshare

Mystery surrounds the identity of the 'guerrilla marketers' who have put up posters by the roadside in Oxfordshire, encouraging motorists to join liftshare.

The signs were posted in early June, and have flummoxed both the council and liftshare - neither of whom was involved with the undercover campaign.

liftshare's founder Ali Clabburn was baffled - but also encouraged to see passionate advocates taking on the role of promoting car-sharing locally. "Fly-posting is illegal and we do not expect people to use these tactics to encourage car-sharing," he stressed. "However it's quite inspiring to witness the lengths people will go to, in their own time, to tell others about it.

It's worth bearing in mind that several local authorities now put up their own signs to advertise their regional liftshare scheme," Ali added. "So if you would like to see official road signs in your area, I would urge you to contact your county council and ask for some to be put up."

Get to work in spite of the tube strike!

Londoners who rely on the underground to get to work or college can beat today's 48-hour tube strike by finding someone to share with on liftshare's site TubeStrike.com.

For those forced to drive by the strike, taking a passenger or two can save a significant proportion of their travel expenses and help others out; while for those without access to a car, the site helps them find a convenient and inexpensive way to avoid being stranded.

Members do not need to have a car. They can either offer a lift, or do a search for someone who is happy to drive in return for a contribution to fuel costs.

Anyone who's going to be affected by the strike can just go to www.TubeStrike.com, register details of the journey they need to make and do a search for someone else going their way. There are already thousands of members on the network in the London area, so there is a good chance they will find a suitable match.

9th June: a step towards beating the recession and fuel prices

On top of struggling with the worst recession in decades, we are now all faced with fuel prices steadily working their way up again. National liftshare Day couldn't be needed more.

On Tuesday 9 June, the nationwide event provides an opportunity for everyone to discover the numerous benefits of car-sharing. And this year, the most relevant benefit for most people is the difference it can make to the pennies in your pocket.

The typical commuter who car-shares every day saves many hundreds of pounds every year - as these liftshare members prove! www.liftshare.com/business/nlsd_gallery.asp

But having a liftshare scheme can also save organisations a significant amount of money. Research by the Department for Transport shows that a company with 2,000 staff would typically save £200,000 a year by setting up a car-share scheme for staff.

In the last year, over 130 organisations have started liftshare schemes, and more than 75,000 additional members have registered (for free) across the network - taking the total to over 330,000.

"National liftshare Day is a great day to introduce friends, colleagues and staff to the idea of car-sharing," said liftshare's founder Ali Clabburn. "June is the time of year when car-sharing is really in the headlines, and more people than ever are signing up and searching for others to share with.

"I would encourage everyone simply to register their journey and do a search. No matter where you live, you'll be surprised to find how many other people are going your way!"

A new Budget: and more reasons to car-share

Chancellor Alistair Darling gave the most important budget in over 60 years today - and the hearts of motorists around the UK will have sunk as he announced a fuel duty increase by 2p per litre in September, followed by 1p a litre above indexation each April for the next four years.

But every cloud has a silver lining and liftshare hopes this will provide the impetus for many more car drivers to investigate the benefits of car-sharing.

"It is a great shame that the Government needs to increase fuel costs in order to compensate for its own mistakes," said liftshare's founder Ali Clabburn. "However, last year's petrol crisis did demonstrate that escalating prices at the pumps do lead to a change in behaviour among motorists.

"In June last year, liftshare's membership rate increased by 100% as fuel prices went up. Thousands of motorists actually managed to reduce their travel costs by car-sharing - even though fuel prices were spiraling - and as a result reduced congestion and pollution. We expect this price increase to reduce emissions from cars and therefore support it."

Time to try walking to work?

It's been a very, very long winter...

But now the spring sunshine brings with it renewed enthusiasm for being out in the fresh air. And if you don't live too far from work, you might want to get involved with the first national Walk to Work Week (27 April - 1 May). Your chance to become fitter, healthier, richer and greener - all in one go.

Hundreds of people have already signed up at www.walkingworks.org.uk/walk-to-work-week-2009

Creating an online profile also allows you to log how much you walked and have your results brought to life in the form of cupcakes, footprints and Sydney Harbour bridge! You'll be able to compare yourself against others in your area and find out how far the nation has walked.

If the benefits of walking to work appeal to you, but you don't fancy doing it alone, you can look for someone to share the journey at www.WalkBUDi.com. It's free to join; just register the journey you want to work and then do a search for someone else strolling your way!

Organisations keen to encourage staff welfare with healthier travel options can also include WalkBUDi and BikeBUDi in their car-sharing schemes.

You are invited to join The Big Lunch!

On Sunday 19 July, The Big Lunch is inviting you and all 61 million people across the UK to simultaneously sit down to eat lunch with your neighbours, in the middle of your street as a simple act of community.

Just as liftshare is all about bringing individuals together, so is The Big Lunch. A new initiative run by the Eden Project, it encourages communities to come together through growing food and flowers; creating street music, art and theatre; dressing the street and, of course, cooking and eating together.

The day after the Big Lunch, people will walk down their street and know someone in most windows. However, the legacy of The Big Lunch is much bigger than just the day after...

The aim is to give people the tools to strengthen their communities through activities such as neighbourhood-watch; improving local amenities such as youth centres; taking care of the elderly or disabled; making imaginative improvements to the local environment; sharing resources from lawnmowers to cars; and supporting local charities both with money and volunteering time.

Organising a Big Lunch in your area is really easy. The Big Lunch website and printed Ideas Booklet will take you through the process step-by-step, giving you the tools, templates and resources to make it as simple as possible. You'll find inspirational ideas and top tips from our ambassadors on the website and you can find others planning a Big Lunch in your street or area by simply entering your post-code on our Big Lunch map.

To find out more: visit www.thebiglunch.com or call 020 7636 8152.

liftshare encourages its members to join Earth Hour

Don't forget that Earth Hour begins at 8.30pm on Saturday 28 March!

For 60 minutes, everyone is encouraged to switch off all their lights to support action on climate change.

Last year, 50 million people around the world signed up; 2009 is set to be even bigger, with more than 1,000 cities and towns taking part across 80 countries.

The event shows that - however small your contribution feels - if we all work together on an individual level, we can make a difference. A mentality which liftshare has always shared.

To do your bit, visit www.earthhour.org

Car-sharing could improve road safety more than cutting speed limit

The national speed limit on most of Britain's roads is to be cut from 60mph to 50mph in an attempt to reduce the number of fatalities - and cut CO2 emissions. The reduction, which is to be imposed as early as next year, will affect two-thirds of our road network and is likely to upset many motorists.

Roads Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, has acknowledged that some in the driving lobby will consider this move a restriction on people's freedom. "But when you compare that to the fact we are killing 3,000 people a year on our roads, it would be irresponsible not to do something about it," he added.

liftshare fully supports this move in its aim to protect the safety of road users. Yet whilst the Department for Transport has found that reducing the speed limit could save 200-250 lives a year, research carried out by Privilege Insurance shows that car-sharing could be even more beneficial to road safety.

Privilege's findings (2006) revealed that half as many drivers were involved in an accident when driving with a passenger compared to when driving alone; meanwhile 20% of lone motorists had been pulled over by the police due to the poor quality of their driving, compared to less than half that number who had been pulled over when driving with someone else in the car.

"Reducing speed is certainly one way to cut the number of deaths on the road," said liftshare's founder, Ali Clabburn. "But it is important to bear in mind that there may be some more socially acceptable ways to reduce the potential for accidents, such as by having more than one person in each car.

"Car-sharing is a simple, sociable and uncontroversial way to make our roads safer."

liftshare members sharing 100 million miles a year

Members of liftshare are now sharing an estimated 100 million miles of road travel each year.

New statistics - being launched by the UK's car-sharing network this weekend - include this landmark figure, which was calculated based on the current level of sharing of its members and the journeys registered on its system.

One member, Norman, who calculates that he is sharing 18,000 miles a year, said: "Car-sharing really opens your eyes to the thousands of cars trundling up and down Britain's roads with just one occupant. Day after day, they take up the same fifty feet of highway, probably tailing the same car as the day before. It's madness. By car-sharing, we could easily halve the amount of traffic on our nation's rush-hour roads."

"This is a phenomenal figure," added liftshare's founder, Ali Clabburn. "A hundred million is almost too large a number to comprehend, and yet that is how many car-miles liftshare's members are sharing every year. The financial and environmental implications for this are also self-evident. In total our members have registered a billion miles which they wish to share."

liftshare's new statistics go live on Sunday 1 March and can be found at www.liftshare.com/business/livestats.asp

300,000th person signs up to liftshare

As drivers continue to look for ways to save money during the recession, the number of people to sign up to the UK's largest car-sharing scheme has hit 300,000.

The figure represents almost 1% of the nation's 33.8 million drivers, a significant statement on how car-sharing is becoming widely accepted and increasingly embraced as a mainstream form of transport.

"I am really pleased with car-sharing," said Tony Woodward, a member who joined the liftshare network in October. "I was paying £60 a week in petrol driving from Congleton to Altrincham on my own - a round trip of 50 miles. Now I share with three guys and I pay just £15 a week - and have three new friends who live in my home town."

liftshare founder named 'Best Male' entrepreneur

A panel of judges led by Dragons' Den star Peter Jones has named Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare, 'best male' in the BT Essence of the Entrepreneur competition.

The 20 winners were selected from hundreds of entries from across the UK by a panel of judges which also included BBC Radio 4's Adam Shaw, Daily Mirror journalist Tricia Philips and John Dunsmere from the British Chambers of Commerce. Of the 20 winners, five were awarded additional accolades to celebrate their achievement.

"To be named ‘best male' on top of being a winner is an incredible privilege," said Ali, who founded liftshare when he was 23. "Being an entrepreneur can be immensely challenging, but I cannot think of anything more rewarding either. I hope the diversity of award winners will encourage other aspiring entrepreneurs to trust their instincts and give their ideas a go."

Now in its third year, the Essence of the Entrepreneur competition celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit in the UK, with the winners proving that the use of technology has helped them succeed - even during a difficult economic climate.

"There are many small businesses in the UK that are thriving and I am delighted to be involved in a campaign that champions this," said judge Peter Jones. "The winners of the Essence of the Entrepreneur competition are bucking a trend, creating stand-out businesses, harnessing the developments of technology and thriving."

To honour their achievement, Ali and the other winners have had the essence of their business captured in a stunning portrait by renowned photographer Rankin. The images will be displayed in an exhibition at the gallery@oxo on London's South Bank from 29 January - 1 March.

Ali Clabburn named one of the 'Future 100' in Global Entrepreneurship Week

Ali Clabburn, founder and Managing Director of liftshare, has been announced as one of the Future 100 Young Entrepreneurs of the Year during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is looking to unleash people's enterprising ideas to address some of society's biggest issues: Climate Change, Poverty, Gender Equality, Health.

The Future 100 Awards profile young entrepreneurs, aged 18-35, who are demonstrating entrepreneurial flair and innovation in progressing a responsible business venture; one which demonstrates a balance between economic, environmental and social goals to achieve ultimate business success.

Founder of Striding Out and organiser of the Future100 awards, Heather Wilkinson, said: "The future of our world is in the hands of individuals who are committed to generating commercial and ethical returns.

"Challenging economic times can offer opportunities to question the way we operate as both a business community and a society. We are profiling the ‘Future 100' young entrepreneurs who are changing the face of everyday business and improve commerce's impact on the wider world."

The Future 100 awards encourage and reward extraordinary vision, ethical business practice and social responsibility. They aim to showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social problems. The Future 100 Awards is organised by Striding Out, a social enterprise which is committed to supporting the development and growth of young and ethical entrepreneurs.

liftshare founder addresses European conference on climate change

The international expertise of liftshare was recognised in Portugal last week, when founder and MD Ali Clabburn was invited to speak at the country's annual Communications Conference in Lisbon (11-13 November).

The theme of this year's conference was the role of the telecommunications industry in combating climate change, and Ali addressed the delegates during a session on how Web 2.0 can drive social change. Other speakers included the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the president of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, and experts from IBM, Cambridge University, Google and Microsoft.

"It is so exciting to think that liftshare is now a global example to others interested in using the web to improve their triple bottom line," said Ali. "The Portuguese were fantastic hosts and I learnt a lot from the other speakers on the future of ICT. Exciting times are ahead!"

The Portuguese economic newspaper, Oje, also featured a double-page spread on Ali and liftshare.

Don't be in the dark - commute smart

As the clocks go back and we all have to start travelling to and from work in the dark again, liftshare has joined forces with National Commute Smart Week (26 October - 1 November) to help ease the misery.

The aim of the week is to highlight the number of ways commuters can avoid the depression and despondency brought on for many of them by making their daily commute in the dark. It also highlights alternative modes of transport and the benefits of more flexible working patterns for commuters.

Each day of the week has a specific theme, with Wednesday focusing on cycling and the concept of finding a BikeBUDi to share the ride to work, and Friday focusing on road congestion and road safety (both of which are helped by car-sharing).

"The Department of Transport has reported that 60 per cent of all commuting trips are made by car - we need to find a way to make all those journeys safer and less stressful," said liftshare's MD, Ali Clabburn.

"Every 1% increase in car occupancy saves over a billion car miles - reducing congestion, pollution and accident tolls. Members of liftshare.com typically save £1,000 a year and reduce their carbon footprint by sharing their daily journey."

Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, said: "One of the key aims of Commute Smart Week is to highlight the waste of time and resources single-occupancy car commuting is. Working with liftshare, we want to demonstrate the benefits of car-sharing in terms of cost savings and the positive impact on road congestion and the environment."

liftshare marks its tenth anniversary in style

Who would have thought it? From humble beginnings on a university notice board, the largest car-share scheme in the world has just celebrated its tenth birthday!

Delegates from around the UK came to Norfolk on Friday (26 September) for liftshare's 10th anniversary conference, which combined inspiration and motivation with help, guidance and the opportunity to network with others running our car-share schemes.

The event was a great success, and was followed the next night by a huge party to thank everyone who had helped in any way over the past decade to take liftshare to where it is today. Who knows what the next decade will bring? But with the ever-increasing relevance of car-sharing, and several international projects underway, it is certain to be an exciting time.

AA announces high petrol costs set to spark car-sharing trend and gives etiquette advice!

Britain is on course to become a nation of car-sharers, according to AA Insurance research published today. Almost half (47%) of the population are now considering car-sharing, and it seems that the cost of petrol is the key reason.

What's more, 60% of the 5.5 million Brits who already car-share admit that their primary reason is to save money on petrol costs. (By contrast, only a third (34%) car-share in order to help reduce emissions - strong evidence that the credit crunch is currently influencing people's behaviour over green issues.)

AA Insurance undertook research with over 2,000 people in the UK, looking into why people do and don't car-share. The most common reasons for car-sharing include social occasions such as going to the pub (54%) and driving to and from work (34%). Sharing long journeys was also a popular choice (32%).

Edmund King, President of the AA, said: "Car sharing is something that we really believe in - not only is it a good way to reduce emissions and congestion on the road, but can also save on motoring costs. There is huge scope to become more of a car-sharing nation and our research suggests that we could see a big increase, especially if Government proposals for ‘high occupancy vehicle' or ‘car sharing' lanes on some busy commuter routes go ahead."

Whilst most car-sharers are considerate and well-behaved, the AA's research also discovered that some drivers let doubts about their potential passenger's manners put a stop to their good intentions. So they have helpfully put together a list of top car-sharer annoyances and drawn up some car-share etiquette to help motorists make the transition...

1. Lateness (72%) - Ensure that you set your alarm earlier and leave extra time before you meet your car sharer
2. Criticising driving (42%) - Keep quiet if you do not agree with the car sharers driving habits. If they are particularly dangerous, perhaps bring it up at another point when you are not in the car
3. Putting your feet on dashboard/seat (39%) - Even if you put your feet on your own dashboards, other people may not appreciate this so be mindful of this in other cars
4. Loud telephone conversations (35%) - Put your phone on silent and try to refrain from telephone calls. If you do have to make calls, ask the driver first
5. Eating in the car (29%) - Eat your breakfast before you get in the car! Food will not only make a mess, but it can be smelly too

Find a travelling companion for car-free day (22 Sep)

Drivers who want to give 'In town without my car day' a go - but lack the confidence to cycle solo or don't want to walk on their own - can search for someone to share their car-free journeys with online.

BikeBUDi.com and WalkBUDi.com are free websites which match individuals with others cycling or walking the same way so they can travel together. Members just need to register their journey and the system automatically lists all potential buddy matches.

Dozens of towns and boroughs across the UK are joining in the international car-free day on 22 September, marking the end of European Mobility Week. Almost 40% of the transport sector's CO2 emissions are produced by the use of private cars in cities, and the idea behind the day is to help highlight the pollution, waste, disruption and delays that can be caused by cars.

BikeBUDi.com and WalkBUDi.com are part of the liftshare network; they encourage individuals who would like to try cycling or walking instead of driving, but are concerned about giving it a go, by linking them up with others going their way. Experienced cyclists can advise those wanting to give it a try on issues such as convenient routes, safety and suitable gear, whilst people interested in walking can look for a companion to make the journey more sociable and to feel safer as the days get shorter.

Another bonus of the BikeBUDi and WalkBUDi systems is that they calculate the financial and CO2 savings each user is making compared to if they were making the journey by car.

Meeting the Queen and P.M. in one week

If the recent surge in members (25,000 in June and July alone) wasn’t enough to convince you, the increasingly important role of car-sharing in the UK has now been highlighted by liftshare’s founder meeting the Queen and the Prime Minister in the space of one week.

Having received the Queen’s Award for innovation in April, Ali Clabburn went to Buckingham Palace to meet Her Majesty in late July. Afterwards he chatted with other winners and various members of the Royal Family. (True to form, he also discussed the possibility of setting up a car-share scheme for Buckingham Palace staff with its head of finance!)

A few days later, Ali was back in central London at a high-profile ceremony for the first ever UK Catalyst Awards. liftshare won the 'David and Goliath' category (see previous news story) and Gordon Brown spoke in praise of the winning social enterprises which were having such a positive impact on society.

liftshare.com recognised at Prime Minister's awards ceremony

liftshare.com has received the ‘David and Goliath Award’ at the first ever UK Catalyst Awards, at a ceremony attended by Gordon Brown in central London this morning.

The new Awards were announced exactly a year ago by the Prime Minister, when he launched the Council on Social Action. They celebrate people who help their community using social technology, such as blogs and social network sites.

Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister said: "Our thriving third sector continues to find innovative ways to tackle issues. We are creating a new generation of activists, campaigners and social entrepreneurs who are showing us just how the newest of technologies can help solve some of the oldest of challenges, building a more just society and better, stronger communities."

The David and Goliath category recognises "something little that made a difference to something big and powerful", and was presented to liftshare’s founder Ali Clabburn at the ceremony by John Hutton MP, the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (pictured).

"liftshare has always seen itself as a catalyst to making real improvements in society by encouraging people to do things together," says Ali. "We are absolutely delighted to have won this award; it will help us bring attention to the problems associated with individualistic lifestyles and to the social, financial and environmental benefits of doing things together."

British Motor Show teams up with liftshare

The UK’s largest motor show is teaming up with the UK’s largest car-sharing network to help people attending the Show find a greener way to get there.

This year – for the first time ever – the world famous British International Motor Show will feature an exciting and visionary 'Greener Driving Pavilion'. And in order to make the event more environmentally friendly, they have asked liftshare to set up a car-sharing site for visitors travelling to the event.

What's more, as part of this important new venture, liftshare members get a 30% ticket discount to the Show.

Who said that lift-sharing and a passion for beautiful cars don't go together?? Cars can be one of the most environmentally-friendly ways of travelling - when used efficiently! So if you’re planning to check out the latest and most exciting motoring technology, make sure you visit www.britishmotorshowliftshare.com first, to see if anyone else is going from your area.

The Show is from 23 July-3 August at ExCel, London.

Drivers urged to try car sharing to mitigate impact of road tax reforms!

Nine million motorists are expected to be affected according to recent news that road tax reforms will increase costs for high polluting vehicles. Operators of the national liftshare network www.liftshare.com are urging motorists to consider car sharing as a way of both reducing driving costs as well as helping the environment.

A typical liftshare members saves themselves £1,000 a year by sharing their empty seats so this could certainly help to take the sting out of the new reforms which, it is estimated, could result in some paying up to £245 more on their Road Tax.

Recent months have already seen a dramatic increase in the number of people turning to carsharing. The average number of new members signing up every month has grown from an average of 4,500 members per month at the beginning of the year to more than 15,000 in June alone.

Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare.com commented;

"We’ve had a staggering increase in the number of people signing up to find a car share match over the last few months and I think that that is in no small part due to the rising fuel costs. Now that some people will be affected by road tax increases as well we hope it will make them think more carefully about the benefit of sharing their empty seats, saving themselves money and helping the environment."