Shared rides

Introduction

Sharing rides is also known as:

  • lift sharing
  • carpooling
  • 2+ car sharing

This is where a private citizen offers to share a trip with one or more passengers.

People share rides formally through established platforms as well as informally through networks in neighbourhoods, communities and workplaces.

This saves money and greenhouse gas emissions and is part of breaking the link between car use and car ownership.

Three woman share a lift in a private car
Two business men sharing a ride together

Key features

UK law means:

  • drivers cannot make a profit, but can charge for reasonable expenses
  • trips should be pre-arranged

Lift sharing often works well in closed groups such as colleagues travelling to work.

If a platform facilitates the shared rides, it makes income from licences from bodies such as local authorities and employers.

Private hire services such as Uber and Lyft are not part of what CoMoUK works on.

Benefits

Lift sharing carries a range of benefits, particularly when used in conjunction with other forms of sustainable transport:

  • It can reduce on-site parking pressures as fewer parking spaces are needed when employees share the journey to work
  • It can help cut congestion around destinations and reduce the environmental impact of organisations
  • It saves money for those taking part
  • It can improve staff recruitment and retention: by offering sustainable travel options it means employers can recruit from a greater radius and from locations that might not be served by public transport
  • It can improve employee health and wellbeing by reducing stress and boosting social interaction

Ride sharing operators

Members of CoMoUK

By combining a range of shared transport functions within a single platform, Flock enables fleet vehicles to be utilised for different purposes throughout the day. The various functions include a dynamic commute service, guest transfers, scheduled shuttle service and self-drive hire.

CoMoUK logo emblem
Member of CoMoUK

KINTO is exploring offering a joined-up experience of multi-modal transport and payment in the UK, ranging from car-pooling to car-sharing and flexible car subscriptions.

CoMoUK logo emblem
Member of CoMoUK

Liftshare is a social enterprise platform that has over 300,000 active members.

It has helped over 600 businesses and communities set up their own online journey-matching tools to encourage liftsharing.

CoMoUK logo emblem
Member of CoMoUK
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