Car share
With over 38 million empty seats on the UK's roads every day it is now starting to be widely recognised that car sharing could be the solution to many of the UK's transport problems.
Car sharing is a simple and effective way of increasing individual mobility, helping motorists keep down their travel costs, making more efficient use of space on the UK's roads and helping the environment by cutting harmful exhaust emissions.
The University of Kent recognises the benefits of car sharing and has teamed up with The University of Greenwich, Canterbury Christ Church University, The University of Creative Arts and Mid Kent College to develop a private online car share scheme for staff and students.
What is car sharing?
Car sharing is when two or more people share a car and travel together. It's something many of us do all the time without thinking about it, but there are some occasions when you might want to share a car and don't know anyone going your way.
What are the benefits of car sharing?
Car share benefits individuals and the environment by:
- Reducing travel costs - On average a car sharer will save themselves around £1000 a year.
- Reducing congestion - Car sharing reduces the number of cars on the road making it easier for everyone to get around.
- Reducing pollution - By car sharing you can significantly reduce the amount of harmful CO2 emissions which contribute to global warming. This government web site provides suggestions for reducing emissions.
How can you get involved?
By registering on the web site it might be possible to team you up with colleagues and friends who travel to or from the same area as you. The larger the database of registered users the greater the chance of finding a match, so please register yourself and encourage others to do so.
You might also consider sharing your journey to or from meetings. You can claim 45p per mile when on University business if you travel with another member of staff.
How does the University car share scheme work?
To increase the chances of staff or students being able to find someone else making similar journeys we have teamed up with other academic institutions that are also located in Kent. These include The University of Greenwich, Canterbury Christ Church University, The University of Creative Arts and Mid Kent College.
The five institutions have jointly developed the 5HARE scheme. It enables you to find someone to share a journey within your own institution or broaden your search to staff and students elsewhere.
To register with the scheme you will need your University email address and details of your journey(s). Once you have registered a journey the software will look for other members with a suitable match and alert you. It is then up to you to get in contact and make arrangements. You don't have to be offering a lift you can also register as someone looking for a lift (or both). The more people that register journeys the better chance of finding a convenient match.
Canterbury staff car share scheme
This year, due to new developments adjacent to the Gulbenkian and Keynes College, we are unable to provide staff who car share at Canterbury with a guaranteed parking space. However, you can still apply for a car share permit as a 'team' (£15 per member) and display all permits as normal. You can use any parking space in accordance with the UoK Traffic Regulations and 2010/11 car share guidelines. Changes have also been made to assist with the situation where the team may occassionally need to bring an additional car onto campus.
If you are interested in joining the Canterbury staff car share scheme then please read the guidelines and download and complete an application form and send it to the Parking Office.
Get me home for Christmas!
The University of Kent is encouraging staff and students to share a lift & buy a gift this Christmas in order to help them to get home for Christmas as cheaply as possible. The money saved by car sharing - rather than driving alone or buying last-minute train tickets - could be spent on gifts for loved ones.
From 29th November, the University will be encouraging its staff and students to save themselves money by using www.5HARE.co.uk (the University's car share database) to get back for the holidays. Staff and students don't even need their own car to join the free scheme. They can either offer a lift or search for someone who's happy to drive in return for a contribution towards the costs. You could also use this facility to help share the cost of a taxi travelling from a Christmas party or even to the airport.
The site is already popular and the experience often inspires students to continue car sharing long after they finish their studies. As Adam said: "I've been a member since going to university and now in my current job I am still a member."
To help advertise this scheme liftshare.com has developed a poster for us to use.