Carsharedevon.com campaign attracts new members
Carsharedevon.com is moving ever closer to reaching the milestone of 10,000 members following its latest drive to get more people to cut costs and carbon emissions by sharing their car journeys.
More than 400 motorists signed up as part of the scheme’s recent ‘Win a Tank of Fuel’ campaign, taking the total membership to 9,900. The lucky winner of the fuel was Chris Howard from Starcross.
Chris, who works for South West Water, said: “My journey to work runs from Starcross to the South West Water headquarters at Rydon Lane in Exeter, each day. Between two households in the same road, there are four employees normally using four separate cars to travel into Exeter daily. Sadly, we can only car share when our shifts happen to coincide, but when they do, at least two and sometimes three people travel together. Occasionally another colleague who lives in Dawlish also tags along. We find that on average this saves us some £50 per month or £600 per year in fuel costs!
“Naturally, we are also proud to be reducing our 'carbon footprint'. My wife and I are both members of the Devon branch of The Wildlife Trust and therefore very conscious of helping preserve the environment.”
Stephen Watts, facilities manager at South West Water, said: “We are delighted that Chris has won through his participation in Carsharedevon. South West Water joined the scheme in October 2010 and re-launched in November 2012 to encourage staff to help the environment, combat congestion and ease overcrowding in our car park. So far 174 staff have registered, creating 40 ‘buddy groups’, and still more cycle, run, walk or catch the train or bus to work.”
Carsharedevon.com is a free service which allows people in Devon and across the south west to find others to share their journey, either taking turns with the driving, or giving someone a lift in exchange for a contribution to the fuel costs. It is commissioned by Devon County Council, in partnership with Plymouth and Torbay Councils.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Drivers are feeling the effects of record prices at the pumps, so it makes perfect sense for people to consider car sharing if they haven’t already. Car sharing could help save you hundreds of pounds and make your commute more enjoyable. You’ll also be doing your bit for the environment by reducing congestion while saving yourself the stress of having to drive every day. I would encourage everyone to go online and join for free.”
The carsharedevon website features a simple online calculator to work out your potential savings, just by entering your travel details such as mileage and how often you drive.
