What is car sharing?

Car Sharing is when two or more people travel togather in the same car.  Many of us already car share informally, but if you regularly make long trips in the car alone (to work for example) it may make more sense to get another person (or two or three) in your car and help share your petrol costs.

Some groups do “reciprocal sharing” where person A drives one day / week, and person B is the passenger.  Then the following day / week, person B will drive with person A as the passenger.  Other times, a person will drive all the time and the passenger will offer petrol money.  Either way, when people car share, the cost of driving is shared out.

Why should I car share?

With fuel costs rising, saving money is a major factor.  Other benefits include:

• Get lifts to places you can’t access
• Reduce traffic congestion
• Help clear up the air
• Reduce wear and tear on your car
• Reduce your mileage
• Share the driving, share the stress
• Find new friends in your community
• Halve your fuel costs

How can I find someone to car share with?

There is a free scheme for people who live, visit or work in Swindon called Carshare Swindon. It aims to fill the empty car seats of those who travel in, around and out of Swindon Borough.  

It is app based, through the Mobilityways app and once you register, you then enter the details of a journey (this could be your commute journey, or an occasional leisure journey). The software will then search through all of the other registered users to try and find a suitable match based on the preferences you have given.  

  How to get started 

• Download the Mobilityways app 
• Select “Join a community” and search for “Carshare Swindon” 
• Sign up for free and create your profile 
• Find a match 
• Enter your journey and connect with potential car share partners through the platform 
• Begin Liftsharing 
• Always remember to authenticate at pick up so that financial and carbon savings are recorded