Car Sharing

What is Car Sharing and why should we encourage it?

Car sharing is a great way to reduce the number of cars on the road. People who use this mode of transport do not have to start their journey at the same place, because the common destination of their trip is important. For example, they may come from different places, and the driver will pick them up on the way to their joint job.

Even in more distant parts of the city, there will be co-workers who could theoretically share a route or corridor to the city for work and thus use car sharing. Several studies have shown that in parts of the country where public transport is very poor, or has few connections to specific cities, people tend to use car sharing more.

Carpooling

Maybe we don’t realize it much, but car sharing was a part of this world long before the advent of businesses supporting this ideology, such as Zipcar, Turo, Car2Go, GIG Car Share, etc.

Currently, we are fighting more and more with traffic congestion in cities. In many countries the quality of the roads is poor, which also contributes to problems on the road. It is precisely for these reasons that a carpooling system should be advocated at this time.

Let’s first explain what carpooling is and how it has evolved over the decades. Carpooling is the concept of sharing your car with other people, eliminating their need to use their car and thus reducing the risk of accidents, environmental pollution, and traffic congestion.

The 1970’s

‍Carpooling became popular in this era due to scarcity of resources. It was at this time that the first vanpools for the employees of the automotive company Chrysler and 3M arrived.

The 1990’s

Carpooling has weakened in its use because fuel prices have fallen significantly compared to the last decade. It was mainly saved by one group of people – students. It was because colleges offered a very limited amount of parking spaces, and because there were many students, they decided to share their rides to save themselves the hassle of parking on a crowded campus.

2000 – today

GPS systems and smartphones have become huge phenomena in this era, as they have made it easier to plan and organize carpooling trips. The first companies such as Uber and Lyft led the revolution of carpooling companies, and because of the increased ease of use of such services, several taxi companies joined them. Today, the aforementioned Uber has more than 6 million drivers in 65 countries.

Over the past two decades, many entrepreneurs have taken the opportunity to create various software applications to simplify the use of carpooling and public transportation. These technological advances continue to this day, with the market offering everything from ridesharing apps for individuals to ridesharing management platforms for businesses.

From the modest beginnings of carpooling, we have evolved to a time where any of many carpooling applications can immediately find you a person with the same travel destination; help you find guaranteed parking spaces; and overall reduces the emissions released into the environment. This is a big step forward, because road vehicles have become one of the main causes of environmental damage due to emissions, and thanks to carpooling, we can alleviate this.

Pay-as-you-go car rental and car clubs

In 2020, car journeys fell significantly in the UK as many COVID restrictions encouraged people to stay at home and travel only when necessary. So many of us dusted off our bicycles or just went for short walk trips. There are many benefits if you choose to use one of these methods, including improving your health, saving money, and reducing carbon emissions. See also our article on Walking & Cycling

A December 2020 report showed that global regulations based on the spread of the Covid-19 virus caused a drop in fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions by up to 2.4 billion tonnes, with transport emissions accounting for the largest share of the decrease.

Since the restrictions are almost completely lifted, people will return to their old habits and thus begin to use the car again for regular trips. However, if you don’t own a car and want to enjoy the freedom it brings, there is one way to achieve it: car clubs.

What is a car club?

Car clubs offer instant access to cars from car club companies in your area. They are often a cheaper alternative than owning the car itself; with a car club, you only pay for the time spent in the vehicle. Other costs such as the wear and tear of the car and the car insurance are paid by the company providing this service.

This method is especially suitable for people who only need a car a few times a year, either for longer trips or trips when it is difficult to use another means of transport.

These cars are usually newer than other cars owned in the UK, which means they are safer, more comfortable, and emit up to 43% less carbon dioxide from their tailpipe emissions. The main reason is that electric cars are a big part of car clubs.

What are the advantages of joining a car club?

If you only drive on occasional trips, then membership in a car club could be just right for you. The advantages of car clubs include:

• They are cheaper than owning a private car because you don’t pay for maintenance, road tax, or insurance costs. You only pay while driving or using the car.
• They are convenient and easy to use – you simply reserve a car, drive away and return the car to the parking lot reserved for the car club.
• You are more active because you always have to get to the car club parking lot first, for example on foot or by bike.

Further Reading

https://www.liftango.com/resources/what-is-carpooling
https://www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk/what-we-offer/services/car-club/
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/everything-you-need-to-know-about-car-clubs/
https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthbusinessservices/national-health-sustainability-office/files/promoting-car-sharing-and-more-efficient-use-of-cars.pdf
https://www.thinktravel.info/media/16339/car-sharing.pdf