March 5, 2008

The internet has proven itself a fantastic way of uniting like minded people. One just has to look at all the dating sites available to see that it’s been used as a means of introduction, almost since people first started logging on.

Local councils have started using the internet as a means of getting people out of their cars, and into somebody else’s. www.carshare.com provides the matching technology. Various County and City Councils have been using the facilities to introduce drivers, going in the same direction, encouraging one of them to leave their car at home. They then share the cost of the journey.

It is possible to either join the scheme as a whole, and interact with other users, or to set up a closed, private scheme. The former is of great benefit for people who wish to reduce the cost of their travel, either by getting someone else to drive and share the cost, or looking for a paying guest for their car.

The closed scheme works well for employers who are looking to set up a programme for their staff. It enables companies to set up their own journey matching facility that is closed to users outside of the micro scheme. An administrator can be nominated to have additional access to the overall data within the scheme. This offers statistical information to help with assesment of the schemes uptake.

The staff will be able to access the full public list of journeys, but have the security of access to the closed scheme as well. This scheme is not available to regular users. If they’re uploading their journey onto the scheme it will only be displayed within the company group, unless specified otherwise. The security is set by the company at the point of set up but there are a number of accessibility options that the users can decide as well.

The benefits are manifold and they include savings on money, congestion and pollution. Employers are encouraged to promote the scheme within their organisations as they will have a common destination and their staff’s time constraints are similar. It can also act as a means of introducing people and fostering new relationships.

Given the increased transport needs in the 21st century this looks like the ideal way to use modern technology to reduce the number of cars on the road. It can do so without reducing the number of journeys made via the roads, but without swamping the public transport system.

Car sharing will enable people to travel in the comfort of a car without adding to the already congested roads. Registered users don’t have to own a car they just need to agree a cost of the journey and commit to paying it. The liftsharing scheme offers the already financially squeezed motorist some payback from their car. If it reduces the number of cars on the road, making driving less of an endurance, and help reduce levels of pollution, then it will only be of benefit.

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