Car sharing and pooling
Carsharegm.com makes it easy for you to find people to car share
with. Car sharing is good for you, your wallet, our towns, and for
the environment.
How to get started
Visit the dedicated web site and click on ''Register now for
free!' Then follow the step by step instructions.
For Rochdale Council staff select special group and then
Rochdale Council Staff.
For the general public select public groups and then general
public.
Car sharing can work really well on an informal basis too, so
why not talk to people in your office or workplace, use communal
noticeboards and group emails to see if people you may already know
would like to share a lift?
For more information contact the Sustainability Team.
CarShareGM website
The benefits of sharing a car
The UK has the worst congestion, longest commuting time, second
highest road utilisation and highest car ownership in the
EU
. The UK's traffic situation
has led to significant social, economic and environmental
costs:
- Traffic jams cost the economy £5 billion every year in lost
productivity
- There are 10 million empty seats on the road every day
- 29 per cent of children travel to school by car
Sharing a car:
- Reduces the costs of travelling by car
- Undercuts the cost of nearly all other forms of transport
- Reduces congestion and pollution
- Reduces parking problems
- Reduces the need for a private car
- Widens the recruitment catchment areas for businesses
- Provides a real solution to the lack of public transport in
rural areas
- Facilitates the integration of public and private
transport
- Is a way of meeting new, like-minded people
If half of UK motorists received a lift one day a week,
congestion and pollution would be reduced by 10 per cent and
traffic jams by 20 per cent.
Safe and confidential
The safety of members is a priority for carsharegm.com; all
members' details are stored securely in the database and only the
members' intended travel information can be accessed online.
When it comes to travelling, every member is responsible for his
or her own safety. However; we do recommend that members follow
some simple security measures outlined below:
- Avoid exchanging home addresses with your travelling companion
before you meet them
- Always arrange to meet in a public place
- Tell a friend or family member who you will be travelling with,
where and when
- Make sure you show each other your I.Ds - passports, student
cards or driving licences- so you know you are travelling with the
right person
- Passengers should ask the driver for the make, model and colour
of their car as well as the registration number. Do not get into
the car if these do not match what you were originally told
You are under no obligation to go ahead with any car share. If
you have any doubts about your travelling companion, for any
reason, you should avoid travelling with them.
Guaranteed ride home scheme
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council provides a 'Guaranteed
Ride Home' scheme for council staff. Under this scheme, if a
registered member has to leave at an unexpected time and no
practical way home is available for the passenger / member(s) of
the car share, the council will arrange transport from your place
of work to home.
Find out more about how the scheme works by contacting the
Sustainability Team.