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Herefordshire Car-Sharing Website PDF Print E-mail
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Written by Alison Grange   
Wednesday, 02 July 2008 13:42
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Herefordshire Car-Sharing Website
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With the rising cost of petrol, many people are seeking ways to make savings and car sharing is one way to significantly reduce the costs of car journeys.

Launched in June 2004 by Herefordshire Council, www.twoshare.co.uk enables people to share car journeys so they not only save money but also provide a transport lifeline for isolated people and help the environment by reducing their carbon emissions. 

Jenni Chapple, who works at Norman Allen Group Travel in Daws Road, started car sharing more than a year ago and has never looked back since.

She said: “I don’t drive and was finding it expensive to travel on the bus so I decided car sharing would be a good option for me.

“I signed up on the website and was contacted by a woman who drives through my village on her way to work in Hereford and we have been travelling into Hereford together ever since and I give her some money towards the petrol costs.

“I really enjoy the company on our journeys to and from work and we sometimes go to the supermarket to do a big grocery shop. We also collect and deliver prescriptions for people in the village which saves even more car journeys being made,” she added.

One of Jenni’s colleagues, Pina Di Pietro, also car shares with a man from Hay-on-wye and two other colleagues, Hilary Christmas and Celia Gunnell are both seeking people to share their journeys to work with.

Hilary said: “As petrol prices continue to rise, I thought it would be a good idea to be able to share the costs with someone else who drives from Michaelchurch into Hereford every day and I have signed up to the website to find a suitable sharer.”

Celia, who lives in Wellington, has also signed up to the website to find someone to car share with. She said: “I don’t really want to lose the freedom of having my car so I would prefer to share journeys with someone rather than having a lift every day.”

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: “The fact that four people from just one office in town either already share car journeys or would like to shows the popularity of this scheme.

“Figures show 80 per cent of people who drive to work do so on their own and I would encourage all these motorists to sign up on the website and see if they can find someone with whom to share their journeys. The scheme is totally flexible with sharers making their own arrangements over whether they offer regular lifts, share car journeys or offer occasional lifts. The more people who sign up the more chance there will be of finding someone suitable.

“Currently one in three journeys registered on twoshare finds a match which is a significant number,” he added.

To find out more about car sharing log onto www.twoshare.co.uk or call 08700 111199.



Last Updated on Monday, 14 July 2008 14:04