In an attempt to improve the carbon footprint of its shoppers, Tesco has recently launched a car-sharing trial in some of its stores in North London [1]. The trial, in conjunction with Carbon Voyage [2], aims to use local minicab firms to enable customers to share rides to and from the supermarkets. Customers with Tesco Clubcards can use the service online, over the phone or by text message, in order to be matched with other shoppers and a minicab firm. Incentives will be provided in the form of Clubcard points and store discounts and the service will show customers the amount of CO² saved in their journeys. The advertising of this scheme is hoped to introduce the many different forms and benefits of car sharing to a wider audience.

Forms of Car Sharing

Also known as liftsharing, ridesharing and carpooling; car sharing is when two or more people share a car and travel together, either for a whole trip or just a part of a journey. It is thought to allow individuals to benefit from the convenience of the car, whilst also reducing the cost and alleviating the associated problems of congestion and pollution [3]. Car sharing can be organised by companies, organised by work or be more informal arrangements between friends and family:

• Informal car sharing with friends and family – useful for weekly shops, the school run, weekend matches, festivals and university trips etc.
• Car sharing arranged by organisations or your place of work – can introduce you to new colleagues and relieves the stresses of the daily commute.
• Internet organised car sharing schemes – there are many different forms of schemes such as Carbon Voyage, the scheme used by Tesco which utilises minicabs. There are also many web-based schemes that promote the sharing of private cars and helps to arrange meeting points etc. Your Local Authority should be able to provide with details of nearby schemes.

The Benefits

Car sharing has a variety of different benefits:

• Saving you money – Carshare estimate that sharing a daily commute can save you up to £1000 a year [4]. Carbon Voyage estimate that travel costs can be cut by around 30 per cent for each individual using the scheme. If everybody who commuted to work on their own everyday shared a lift just once a week, then there could be a reduction of 20% in car journeys.
• Saving you stress – Having company in the car can be less stressful and you may not have to do all the driving yourself.
• Reducing the number of cars on our roads – This results in less congestion, less pollution, a reduction in CO² emissions and an improvement in parking. Carbon Voyage estimate that the carbon impact of a journey can be halved by simply combining lifts.
• Connecting rural areas – Can help people who live in rural areas with poor public transport links.
• It’s sociable – Car sharing is fun and can introduce you to people you might not have otherwise met.

The Disadvantages of Taxis

Car sharing in London is the perfect alternative to unreliable public transport and costly individual car journeys, either in minicabs or personal cars. Carbon Voyage estimates:

• That there are 22,000 licensed taxis and 46,000 private hire vehicles in London.
• Over 700,000 tonnes of fuel is consumed by the taxi industry and is responsible for over 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
• Taxis can have CO² emissions of above 225g/km, whereas the Toyota Prius only has an emission rating of 104g/km.
• Taxis emit more CO² than buses for the same number of people.
• Higher black cab running costs have meant that taxi fares have consistently risen each year.
• A business where employees take around forty 10 kilometre taxi trips per month can generate around 1.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

As the benefits of car sharing are increasingly being acknowledged, schemes such as these are becoming more popular with many employers and communities introducing car sharing schemes. Even if you don’t drive, car sharing is still an option as 60% of drivers would be willing to share their car to work if there was someone suitable to travel with [5].

[1] http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/tesco-launches-carsharing-trial-1628.aspx

[2] http://www.carbonvoyage.com/home/how_it_works

[3] http://www.carbonvoyage.com/home/environment

[4] https://carshare.liftshare.com/started.asp

[5] http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/environmentandgreenerliving/greenertravel/dg_10036310