Sharing cars to work could save you hundreds !

As prices at the pumps continue to soar, you could cut £2,000 from your motoring costs by sharing a lift in the morning.

Want to save as much as £2,000 a year on petrol? Then join the growing number of commuters using the internet to hook up with one another and share the journey to work.

In many cases, drivers have found they live and work just a few miles apart, but until they got together were driving the same route – alone.

The internet was made for lift sharing and car pooling, and there are several websites dedicated to getting lift sharees together, and, as petrol prices have soared, the biggest UK site, liftshare.com, says it has been running red hot with new applicants. To find a lift share, users simply register for free and input their details, destination and time of departure, and how flexible on time they can be.

The database then throws up other people in the same area making the same/similar journeys – and gets them together via email.

"Some people don't have a car and are looking for a ride," says Liftshare spokeswoman, Cecilia Bromley-Martin. "Others, who have cars, might take it in turns to drive, saving money by leaving their car at home that day. It works in several ways, but it's all about getting people together who make the same trips."

She says the company was originally formed in 1998 by a student looking to get back home from university one Christmas. He posted a message on a notice board and got two offers, and the business was born.
More than 420,000 Britons have signed up to liftshare.com alone – presumably after overcoming the tendency in many of us to be antisocial first thing in the morning.
Several local authorities and companies now pay to use the company's systems to promote lift shares within their organisation, which is where the site make its money.
Liftshare says all sorts of people share lifts, in all ages, and both sexes. The company gets potential sharers together and says it is up to them to agree the finances. Some sharers just take it in turns. Those without cars make a fair contribution to fuel costs. Other drivers choose to charge the passengers a similar amount to what they would pay on the bus.
The typical saving by users is £800 a year – although some save about £2,000. "We recommend potential sharers meet first and try out a few trips before they commit long term. If you require silence, or you only want to listen to the Today programme, make these points early on. There is often someone who has a similar outlook as you going in the same direction," Bromley-Martin says.
Norman Hadley has been lift sharing for nine years and estimates it saves him £1,800 a year. He and three others share the driving of the 40 or so miles between Garstang, Lancashire, and Warrington, where they all work.
"We each have a car and take it in turn according to a pre-agreed rota. We find this is the easiest way, as no money changes hands."
He says his group are lucky in that they all work similar hours, and are happy to be flexible about the times they arrive and depart.
"The other three live on my journey, and we're all fairly easy going and get on pretty well. We've agreed to listen to Radio 2. I have to grit my teeth in the mornings with Chris Evans sometimes, but this is a small price to pay."

He suggests his annual saving of £1,800 in lower motoring costs is the equivalent of getting a £2,500 pay rise after tax is taken into account. Holidays and other commitments mean he drives around 36% of the journeys he would make if he were on his own.

"The benefits aren't just financial. I estimate we save around 10 tonnes of carbon each year and help reduce congestion, which is a problem on our route. On the days we aren't driving we get to take a rest, and, for me, it's useful time. I'm also a writer/poet and I use the time in the back to do something creative. I also like the company – and when you are driving back on a snowy winter's night it's good not to be alone," he says.
Liftshare says the site will also help you find one-off lifts, as well as regular journeys: "If you've got to go to Glasgow to see your friend, you should find someone going in the same direction. You need to plan it ahead. For example, there's already a lively trade in people asking for, and offering, lifts to the big summer festivals – Glastonbury and the like. Wherever you are going there will be someone else ready to share the petrol costs."
One thing to consider is insurance. The Association of British Insurers has told Liftshare that car sharing won't affect the insurance of their members, so long as a profit isn't made: "All ABI motor insurers have agreed that if your passengers contribute towards your running costs, your insurance cover will not be affected as long as lifts are given in a vehicle seating eight passengers or less," says the ABI.

Drivers with any concerns should check with their insurance company, it says, as terms and conditions may vary between insurance providers over time. Another website to try is National CarShare.