liftshare news

Car-share wherever and whenever you want - get liftshare on your mobile

liftshare is trialling its new mobile web service, which is aimed at making car-sharing more accessible by finding people matches via their mobile phones.

The new system is free to use and provides a trimmed-down version of what the main website does, tailored to provide a short, simple user interface suitable for mobile phones. Because the mobile service links into the main liftshare network, anyone using the service will have access to the full range of online matches.

liftshare's Managing Director, Ali Clabburn, explains: "We want to be able to help people find car-share matches anytime, any place, so it seemed the most logical thing to do would be enable them to find matches on their phones. We're really keen to hear feedback and we hope users will get in touch to tell us what they think."

The trial is part of a wider development project being undertaken through Technology Strategy Board funding, which will run until March 2011 and is aimed at increasing the take-up of car-sharing by providing solutions to overcome the barriers.

To try out the new service, use your phone to register for free at www.liftshare.com/mobile. Alternatively, if you are an existing liftshare member, simply log into your account at www.liftshare.com/mobile.

liftshare named one of Britain's greenest transport organisations

The first ever Low Carbon Champion Awards have named liftshare's founder, Ali Clabburn, winner of the 'Special Award' category. The award is given to the outstanding individual who has made the greatest contribution to the achievement of the low carbon road transport agenda.

Greg Archer, Managing Director of the LowCVP who ran the awards, said: "These Awards define excellence and innovation, identifying the leaders in accelerating the shift to low carbon vehicles and fuels. The quality of the 50 plus entries was exceptional and demonstrates the vibrancy of UK businesses and organisations in striving to create new markets for lower carbon vehicles."

Companies at the forefront of cutting carbon emissions from road transport were honoured at the ceremony, which was held yesterday during LowCVP's seventh annual conference.

Ali received the Special Award for "the excellence and originality" of liftshare's work in reducing traffic and energy use. "It is such a privilege to do something you love, and something which really makes a difference to society," he said. "We put real passion into helping people travel more sustainably, so to be recognised as Low Carbon Champions is the icing on the cake - especially when there are so many organisations doing other great things to help reduce our impact on the environment."

More than 375,000 individuals have signed up to liftshare's 1,000+ car-sharing schemes around the UK. Members are currently sharing about 250million miles a year, and saving over 80,000 tonnes of CO2.

Petrol prices set for rise following emergency budget

Despite a freeze on the price of petrol duty announced by the Chancellor George Osborne in his emergency budget this week, petrol prices are still set to increase.

VAT increasing to 20% from 4 January 2011 will add about 3p per litre of fuel at current prices. On top of this, motorists will still face the increases - announced earlier this year - of 1p a litre in October and 0.76p a litre next January.

And that's not the last of it, as motorists will also be hit by a rise in insurance premium tax. AA President Edmund King said: "We estimate that taking all the increases into account, motorists will, by January, be paying 4.63p a litre more for petrol and 4.68p a litre more for diesel than they are now."

All this will mean another tough year for motorists who have already seen steep price increases at the pumps this year. The typical car-sharer saves around £800 a year, so sign up and make sure you're sharing (and saving) before fuel prices make driving even costlier...

Will you be sharing a big lunch? Only a month to go...

Car-sharing is all about getting together with people who live near you and sharing with them. And so is The Big Lunch.

Held for the first time last year, the nationwide street party saw over 8,000 lunches in every kind of community across the UK. Up to a million people took to the streets in the biggest set of street parties since the Golden Jubilee, and 80% said they felt closer to their neighbours as a result.

This year, The Big Lunch will be held on Sunday 18 July. We believe liftsharers and Big Lunchers have lots in common - including interest in sustainability, community and making new friends, so we are really delighted to be supporting this wonderful event again. Because the knock-on benefits of knowing your local community are enormous and life-enriching. Get chatting to your neighbours at The Big Lunch, and you might soon be:
• skill swapping ("I'll teach you Spanish in return for guitar lessons")
• co-owning something you both want, like a dinghy or lawn mower
• sharing your hobbies (mountain biking, badminton, patchwork)
• setting up a book club,
• or simply holding house keys for emergencies (and watering each other's tomatoes when one of you is on holiday!)

Above all though, community is about friendship. And if there's one thing that both liftshare and The Big Lunch see a lot of, it's wonderful friendships springing up in neighbourhoods throughout the UK. liftshare member Alton in Norfolk put it in a nutshell: "At first I joined just to find somebody with whom to halve my travelling costs, but actually I ended up finding a good friend!"

If you haven't organised a Big Lunch for your street yet, it's not too late. Find out more by going to www.thebiglunch.com, have a chat with the team on 0845 850 8181 or email info@thebiglunch.com

liftshare short-listed in Observer Ethical Awards

From over 8,000 entries which poured in for this year's Observer Ethical Awards, liftshare was selected to be among the final three Grassroots Projects.

The nationwide car-sharing network was short-listed by a stellar judging panel - including Colin Firth, Kate Humble, Ben Fogle and "dragon" Deborah Meaden - for its contribution to the environment and its pro bono work in helping local communities.

"It was incredibly exciting for us to be selected out of thousands of applicants," said founder Ali Clabburn. "The message we take away from this great accolade is that all the work we are doing to support communities has put us at the forefront of ethical enterprises."

The lifetime achievement award went to Gordon Roddick, who co-founded the Body Shop and the Big Issue (pictured here with the Observer's environmental reporter, Lucy Siegle, and actor-campaigner Colin Firth).

New Prime Minister has car-sharing on his mind

Many thorny disputes may lie ahead for the UK's new coalition government, but thankfully there is one subject the new Prime Minister and his Deputy are clear on: car-sharing together!

In their historic first joint-interview, David Cameron and Nick Clegg spoke of the importance of doing things together. "We've already talked about the Thirsk and Malton bi-election," announced Cameron. "Perhaps we'll share a car to save the petrol."

He certainly gets our vote on that one!

Stranded travellers turn to car-sharing to get home

Hundreds of people have turned to car-sharing to get home after their flights were cancelled due to Iceland's volcanic eruption.

The liftshare network, which is usually only used for journeys round the UK, has seen people offering and seeking lifts from as far afield as Kiev, Helsinki, Latvia and Bulgaria.

The free liftshare sites are also being used by people wanting to get around within Europe, with journeys available for sharing including Cadiz in southern Portugal to Rzeszow in Poland.

"These last few days have seen a bit of a resurgence of the Blitz mentality, with people offering their spare car seats to other stranded travellers," said founder Ali Clabburn. "It's been fantastic for us to see how many people are using our various car-sharing sites.

"People are wanting to car-share home as it's one of the most affordable options, as well as being quick, direct and providing company through foreign countries which could be quite intimidating to drive through alone."

Petrol prices hit record high

On what the RAC described as "a dark day for motorists", the price of petrol has hit an all-time high of 119.9p per litre (£5.46 a gallon).

A small family car now costs £59.95 to fill up - £5 more than just three months ago at the start of the year. A staggering £17 more than in January last year.

Motoring groups have warned that the average price of petrol could continue to rise - especially if there is a hung parliament following the general election. "For many drivers, today's record price underlines what they already know - the cost of petrol is becoming increasingly unsustainable," said Paul Watters from the AA - adding that "it looks as if things are going to get worse."

Brendan Mcloughlin, founder of PetrolPrices.com, has also predicted "a really grim summer" for motorists. "I think it will hit £1.50 a litre," he said.

"When petrol prices hit their previous record high in summer 2008, we saw 25,000 people join the liftshare network in just two months," said founder Ali Clabburn. "Drivers realise that sharing their journey with someone else going their way is the only way to avoid being hit too hard by these exorbitant fuel prices."

Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment programme comes into force

The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme starts today, 1 April 2010, with around 20,000 large public and private sector organisations involved at varying levels. Participant organisations will have to monitor their emissions and purchase allowances, sold by Government, for each tonne of CO2 they emit.

The Government will publish a league table based on performance, with all revenue from purchased allowances going back to the organisations. The reward scheme in place will see the best placed organisations in the table receive the most revenue back, encouraging organisations to do all they can to cut their emissions.

Under control of the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the scheme aims to help improve efficiency, save companies money as a result, and reduce national CO2 emissions. In order to meet the 80% reduction in CO2 target by 2050, organisations are now under increasing pressure to reduce the environmentally degrading impact that comes from many day-to-day operations.

"Commuting and business travel is included under Scope 3 of the CRC," said liftshare's MD, Ali Clabburn, "and any organisation with significant business mileage would be wise to introduce car-sharing as a quick win - both environmental and financial."

For more information on the Energy Efficiency Scheme, visit www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/crc/crc.aspx

Budget and pump prices add £2 to filling your car

"Before the budget, motorists were paying 117.3p a litre. By the end of next week filling the tank of a small family car will cost £2 more."

That was the analysis of David Millward, the transport editor of the Daily Telegraph, of the increasing petrol crunch which has its grip on UK motorists.

"According to the AA, drivers are set to pay an average of 121p litre for unleaded at Easter, bursting the 119.7p record which was set in July 2008," he added.

Despite the 3p increase in fuel duty being staged over the next nine months, drivers' pockets are being hit hard.

"For the countless people who have to rely on their car, sharing even just once or twice a week can make a significant difference to their monthly fuel costs," said Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare. "Literally thousands of people are signing up every month to benefit from the much-needed savings car-sharing can provide."

Average UK petrol price may hit record £1.20

The AA has announced that petrol prices in the UK could hit a record average high of £1.20 a litre in the next few weeks.

Urging Chancellor Alistair Darling to postpone the introduction of a planned 3p rise in petrol duty on 1 April, the AA said that some pumps in London an parts of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland were already charging £1.20 a litre.

"The AA tells us that families are now paying £52 more on petrol every month than they were a year ago," said Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare. "There is very little we can do about the amount we are charged for petrol, but we can do something about how often we fill our tanks.

"The typical commuter who car-shares every day is saving themselves over £800 a year - and we expect to see thousands more people sign up to car-share schemes over the coming months, as petrol prices climb higher than they've ever been before."

The previous record UK average high for unleaded petrol was in July 2008, when it hit 119.7p a litre. (In June-July 2008, almost 25,000 new members also joined the liftshare network to find someone to car-share with.)

DfT urged to do more for car-sharing

A paper by the Government's advisory body, the Sustainable Development Commission, has called on the Department for Transport (DfT) to publicise more information on car-sharing.

The recent report, 'Smarter Moves - How information communications technology can promote sustainable mobility', has labelled car-sharing as one of the applications that "appear to have the most significant potential for improving overall sustainability [in transport]".

With public spending looking at cut-backs over the coming year, the report has urged the DfT to set specific policies in its quest to cut carbon emissions from transport and contribute to the Government's target of a 34% reduction by 2020.

By highlighting that "one of the easiest ways of improving vehicle efficiency measured on a per passenger kilometre basis is to increase the number of passengers in each vehicle", it is clear that research is beginning to show the great benefits car-sharing schemes provide, at the low costs required.

Recommendations include:
• "The Department for Transport to fully integrate car-sharing options into the TransportDirect journey planner and further promote car-sharing through the Act on CO2 campaign;
• The Department for Transport to develop and publish metrics such that numbers of people car-sharing and an estimate of the resulting reduction in vehicle mileage can be published in future editions of Transport Statistics Great Britain.

See the full paper at https://www.liftshare.com/business/pdfs/SDC%20-%20How%20ICT%20can%20promote%20sustainable%20mobility%202010.pdf

liftshare founder invited to No.10

liftshare's founder Ali Clabburn attended a reception at No.10 yesterday, celebrating the success of Britain's small businesses.

The event - which he was invited to in his capacity as an ambassador for Enterprise UK - was hosted by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and attended by Sir Alan Sugar along with 100 other successful businessmen and women.

The evening underscored the importance of thriving small businesses to Britain's economy, especially at this time of recession.

"It's well-known that the UK's return to growth will rely heavily on the success and innovation and expansion of small companies," said Ali. "It was great to be at this event, representing all of those young entrepreneurs who are passionate about tackling today's challenges head-on and creating growth and employment in the process."

350,000 people sign up to help their planet and their wallets!

Another huge influx of members last year has taken liftshare to new heights of popularity.

Over 65,000 people signed up to the liftshare network since last January, taking the total number of individuals wanting to reap the rewards of car-sharing to 350,000.

"We've been running car-share schemes for 11 years, yet nearly 20 per cent of new members registered in the last year alone," said liftshare's founder Ali Clabburn. "This really goes to show how the popularity of car-sharing is ever-increasing.

"There's a recession on, petrol prices creep relentlessly up and everyone is more aware than ever of their personal impact on the environment. As one of our members, Mark in Ely, told us: starting to car-share is 'a satisfying step in the right direction'!"

Australian drivers beat petrol increases with new car-share scheme

Petrol prices Down Under are hitting the news headlines, having reached a five-month high. But a new liftshare nationwide scheme is helping Australians dramatically cut their travelling costs - whilst being greener and having fun into the bargain.

Australia liftshare was launched to support the Southbound Festival, helping music fans get to the event at less cost to themselves and the environment. The new nationwide website - www.AustraliaLiftshare.com - is free to use and allows members to register their journey and search for others going their way so they can travel together.

Over two-thirds of those who signed up to car-share to Southbound found a suitable match on the system for their journey - while the typical commuter who car-shares every day saves hundreds of dollars a year in fuel costs. As one member, Jeff, said: "Your scheme has been fantastic. Not only do I have great company now but you've also halved my costs!"

The Australian website is a new addition to what is already the world's largest car-sharing network, which has seen 350,000 members sign up to date.

Founder Ali Clabburn told Australian drivers: "Petrol prices may be increasing again, but there are things we can do to fight it! Joining Australia liftshare only takes a few minutes and won't cost you a cent, but it could end up saving you hundreds - even thousands - of dollars a year."

10:10 campaign teams up with liftshare

A nationwide campaign which has hit the country by storm, urging everyone to cut their CO2 emissions by 10% in 2010, has joined forces with liftshare to offer a free car-sharing service to all its members.

Since 10:10 was launched just a few months ago, the entire Cabinet has signed up to the commitment, as well as over 100 councils, 2,000 businesses (from Microsoft and Adidas to zoos and music festivals), and over 50,000 individuals including celebrities such as Sara Cox, Richard Curtis, Delia Smith and Colin Firth. And as car-sharing saves the typical commuter about a tonne (roughly 10%) of their annual carbon emissions, 10:10 were eager to make it as easy as possible for its members to find someone to share with.

"There are 38 million empty car seats on the UK's roads every morning," says the 10:10 website. "That's a massive amount of congestion, carbon, and Chris Moyles that we could all do without. That's why we've teamed up with liftshare.com to launch our very own 10:10 liftshare scheme."

Ali Clabburn, liftshare's Managing Director, said: "While so many others just talk about how we can tackle climate change, the 10:10 campaign is actually doing something. We are so pleased that we are able to support this dynamic and exciting campaign, and would encourage anyone who has not already signed up to 10:10 to do so!"

The 10:10 campaign can be joined at www.1010uk.org
Anyone can also join the 10:10 liftshare scheme at www.1010liftshare.com

Looking for a new year's resolution? Try a low-car diet!

As a new decade dawns, there are many areas of our lives we may feel need attention. Some of us may make half a dozen (or more) resolutions for 2010! But if there's only one that you're going to manage to keep, make it one which will help the planet, your wallet and your social life...

Besides being more fun than forcing yourself down to the gym on a cold, dark evening, the low-car diet can:

Save you lots of money
Improve your carbon footprint
Reduce your stress levels

Even if you only car-share once a week, that's still enough to get some serious results! Check out our cost calculator to see how much money and CO2 emissions sharing your regular journeys could save.

Sign up to liftshare.com today. Or if you're already a member, sign into your account and see if there are any more people you could be teaming up with, to reduce your waste even further. You could be saving many hundreds of pounds a year, and cutting your CO2 emissions by a tonne or more...

Happy sharing - and best wishes from the liftshare team for a very healthy, successful 2010!

liftshare members star in new car-sharing video

Enthusiastic members of the liftshare network have become the stars of a new short film promoting the benefits of car-sharing.

The five-minute video, in which the members demonstrate the benefits and answer some common questions about car-sharing, can be viewed here.

New surveys show increasing popularity of car-sharing

Two surveys out this week reveal an ever-increasing enthusiasm for car-sharing among people in Britain.

A new annual household survey named 'Understanding Society', which included a section on environmental topics, indicated a strong preference for environmental actions costing the least money and requiring the least effort*. A total of 15% of those questioned said that they now car-shared always or very often.

The survey, by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Institute for Social and Economic Research and the National Centre for Social Research, examined the environmental actions and preferences of 100,000 British people from 40,000 households.

Meanwhile, another survey out this week revealed that, whilst 15% of people already car-share very regularly, a further 45% are open to trying it.

The survey by Alphabet of more than 1,000 people showed that, while older drivers were less likely to welcome the idea of sharing journeys regularly, nearly 80% of younger respondents were ready to consider sharing to help reduce congestion and pollution. Overall, six out of 10 car users said they would be willing to car-share in future.

"To meet future carbon targets, businesses will need to closely control their energy use. Many traditional working patterns will be affected," said Mark Sinclair, director at Alphabet. "The fact that many respondents said they would consider a departure from the norm such as lift-sharing could be seen as a good sign for organisations that are thinking about introducing new policies and working practices in the coming years."

* Some of our most popular green behaviours are:

• Car-sharing
• Not buying items due to too much packaging
• Putting more clothes on when cold
• Taking own bag when shopping
• Switching off lights in unused room
• Not keeping the tap on when brushing teeth

Cross-border car-sharing scheme for Northern and Southern Ireland

A 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.

Christmas set to see highest petrol prices in 15 months

The average price of petrol at the pumps is set to soar past 110p a litre - £5 a gallon - in the run-up to Christmas. The highest in 15 months.

The latest forecasts were compiled by the comparison website PetrolPrices.com, which has calculated that the cost of filling an average family car with unleaded fuel will be £60.50 this December - £12.15 more than a year ago.

John Franklin, a spokesman for the RAC motoring group, said: "The festive season is traditionally a very expensive time and this has been made worse by petrol prices rising by around 26 per cent from last year. With the £5 a gallon mark likely to be hit before Christmas, many families are likely to think twice about visiting family and friends."

Ali Clabburn, founder of liftshare, said: "Whilst it's not easy to reduce your outgoings on gifts and food, getting involved in a car-sharing now could save you many hundreds of pounds over the coming year. Given that Christmas costs the average family nearly £500 - excluding the presents - this could be just what you need to take the financial sting out of the festive season."

Motorists will suffer further expense in the New Year when the Government reverses its 2.5% reduction in VAT.

Chelsea FC launches liftshare scheme

Fans of Chelsea Football Club will soon be sharing cars to get to see their team's games...

The premier league side has just launched a liftshare scheme in order to reduce carbon emissions.

The scheme has certainly attracted the attention of fans, with tweets flying around Twitter and a number of sites blogging about it - which in addition to reducing travel costs aims to cut congestion and pollution generated by the West London club.

The scheme has been endorsed by Chelsea's environmental fans committee, which said: "We would urge fans driving to games to see if they can offer any lifts to Blues in their area. It can save money [and] bring fans together, as well as saving the environment.

"Together we can make a huge difference."

Chelsea, whose next away fixture in the league is against London rivals Arsenal on 29 November, has already shown its commitment to going green. The club was the first of the London teams to sign up to the Mayor of London's Green 500 carbon reduction scheme.

Bilingual, nationwide scheme for Wales

Sustainable travel in Wales achieved a milestone this week, as the final piece of the jigsaw was put in place for a nationwide, bilingual car-sharing scheme.

Until now, the country's car-share websites have been only partly bilingual, and there was no scheme covering the north of the country. But on 5 November, a scheme was launched for north Wales and, supported by the Welsh Assembly Government, the four regions of Wales have had their sites - which all link together - made completely bilingual.

There are already 8,500 members on the Welsh liftshare network, and the four regional schemes all work together so that, if a member is unable to find a suitable car-sharer within their own group, they can do an advanced search of the entire network.

"Car-sharing is one of the greenest forms of travel and contributes towards reducing single occupancy car travel and congestion particularly during peak periods," said Wales’ deputy first minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, as the scheme went live in Conwy.

"As well as being fun and potentially saving members many hundreds of pounds a year, we hope it will encourage even more people to give it a go."

"The Welsh Assembly Government is really leading the way in providing all its citizens with access to a public, bi-lingual, online car-share scheme," said Louis Clabburn, liftshare Commercial Manager. "The websites will help many thousands of people across Wales save money, reduce pollution and congestion, improve mobility and enjoy more sociable journeys."

Toni, a member from Swansea, said: "I found a match travelling between Cardiff and Swansea very quickly. The benefit of using the scheme is that I could be matched with someone of the same age and gender as me, so we have more in common. I don't drive myself so was pleasantly surprised to see I could sign up as a passenger only."

The four linked websites making up the nationwide scheme are:
www.swwitch2share.com
www.northwalescarshare.com
www.sewtacarshare.com
www.midwalescarshare.com

liftshare founder named a 2009 'Young Gun'

The Norfolk-based founder of the UK's largest car-sharing scheme has been named as one of the nation's "most exciting and ambitious" young entrepreneurs.

Now in its seventh year, the Young Guns list claims an unrivalled track record for "unearthing phenomenal business talent" and 34-year-old Ali Clabburn - founder of liftshare - has been identified as one of these.

"We conducted our search in one of the toughest trading environments for decades, but finding gutsy young entrepreneurs was no more difficult this year," said James Hurley, editor of Growing Business magazine, who created the awards.

"liftshare stood out as a social enterprise with impressive technical innovation, ambitious growth plans and real scalability. Clabburn has demonstrated true leadership in his efforts to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of car sharing."

"It is a real privilege to have been made one of this year's Young Guns," said Ali. "Attending the event alone was an inspiration - to meet so many young people who are bucking the trend and doing great things despite the current economy just served to make me even more excited about the potential of what liftshare can still do."