5 things you’ll save by car sharing

The planet

On average, standard cars release 149 g/km (grams per kilometre) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Let’s say for example, that you drive 50 miles a day, this converts to around 80km which is nearly 12kg of carbon dioxide released every day, or 60kg a week- about 2880kg a year.

When car sharing, you’re likely to halve these figures, if not more. With so many cars needlessly on the road and pollution levels at an all-time high, it really is time to start taking responsibility for your environmental actions. By making small changes to how you go about daily life, the benefits could be sustainable. What’s more, with car sharing, you stand to make savings all over the place, making your ecological victory just a little bit sweeter.

Money

One of the biggest downsides of commuting to work every single day is the expense, especially now that fuel prices have increased so much. One of the best reasons to car share is the amount of money you can save.

Think about it. Car share with one person and you’ll halve your commuting costs, share with two and you’ll reduce them by two-thirds. If you drive 50 miles a day and car share with one person you’ll reduce your mileage by roughly 6,000 miles a year. Do the maths and then imagine what you could do with all that extra cash. The benefits of car sharing will soon add up.

Time

Increasingly, cities like Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol are introducing dedicated lanes for vehicles with two or more people inside. So if you car share, you won’t just save money commuting, you’re literally being given a priority lane that will buy you some precious minutes in the morning.

Arguably, you may not want to arrive at work 10 minutes earlier – but imagine what you could do with that extra time every day. That’s 10 minutes longer in bed on a chilly morning.

Your Car

Halving or reducing your mileage won’t just save you petrol costs; it’ll also reduce expensive wear and tear on your vehicle. Whilst annual serving and MOTs will still be required, you won’t spend as much on maintaining parts that wear out quicker the more miles you drive.

You’ll reduce wear and tear on tires, gearboxes, suspensions and brakes. Plus there’s the bonus that when your car is in the garage for maintenance you won’t need to rent a replacement to ferry you around, as you’ll be commuting with your car share buddy.

Face

One of the best things about car sharing is the opportunity to meet people you might not normally socialize with– particularly at work. You’ll be drawn in to new topics of conversation and, who knows, you might just discover a new hobby or love interest. Car sharing could also give you insights into new career opportunities in your company, and, if you’re commuting with the right person, some excellent networking opportunities.

If you’re thinking about car sharing, ask around at work or stick up an ad on your intranet notice board. Alternatively, sign up to one of the many car sharing websites like BlaBlaCar or Lift Share.

Once you’ve found someone you’re happy to share your commute with, agree the terms of your car share upfront. Decide whether you take turns on a daily or weekly basis. If one of your lift share partners starts to take advantage, don’t be afraid to break the agreement. You’re sure to find someone else who’ll keep to their side of the bargain and when you start to appreciate all the good you’re doing the environment, it’ll make the added effort worth it.