Shared rides > Overview and benefits

Introduction

Sharing rides is also known as:

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.

UK law means:

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.

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

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.

Member of CoMoUK