Win a tank of fuel by car sharing in Devon
Devon County Council is offering people a chance to win a free tank of fuel to promote National Liftshare week (7-11 October).
Commuters who register at Carsharedevon.com before 30 November will be entered into a prize draw to win up to £100 in fuel costs.
On Carsharedevon.com commuters can organise lift shares across Devon and the South West. Lift sharers can take it in turns driving or contributing a small cost of the fuel for the journey.
Among those who have found a carsharer through Carsharedevon is teacher Katy Lewis who lives in Exeter and travels to work in Plymouth.
Katy said: “I signed up to Carsharedevon after travelling to work for a month and realising exactly how much it was going to cost in fuel. I found Jamie and it is working really well so far.
“We take it in turns to drive and as we both work in schools we have similar working patterns and are able to be flexible when it comes to parents’ evenings and after school meetings.
“We also have the common goal in mind of saving money and have both commented on how much quicker the journey seems to pass when you have company in the car with you. We think that Carsharedevon is a wonderful service.”
Nicky Allen, who shares a lift into Exeter from Mid Devon with Cindy Jefferson said: “I never thought I would be able to find a car share living 25 miles from Exeter. It has been brilliant and I calculated it has saved me about £20 per week. As well as my fuel bill being cut in half it’s nice to have the company. The car sharing has been absolutely vital since I broke my foot and am currently being chauffeured into work.”
The site is commissioned by Devon County Council in partnership with Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council to encourage sustainable travel in the county.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Where can you find fuel for 69p per litre? You’re not going to find it at any regular garage, but it’s effectively what you pay if you share lifts rather than drive alone. That’s just one good reason why everyone should be doing it.
“The carsharedevon.com website is really easy to use, and with more than 10,200 members it’s the best way to find others who are regularly making the same journey as you. I would encourage everyone to log on and take a look. Sharing with just one other person halves your travel costs, and if you find a couple of people to travel with, you will be getting your fuel cost down to about 46p a litre which is fantastic.”
Exeter University is one of several employers around Devon who offer extra incentives to become a lift sharer. The University offers 36 reserved car parking spaces for lift shares and a significant discount on parking permits.
Liftshare, the Carsharedevon software provider, is also running a nationwide competition for new and existing members who add a daily/weekly or shift journey before Sunday 13 October which they would like to share. The winner will be selected at random to win £250.
A spokesman for Liftshare said: “We have around 5,000 people adding journeys to the site each month so if you can’t find a lift share straightaway we advise you to check back again in a month or two.
“We currently have over 370,000 lifts across the UK, with a 76% chance that there will be a lift share available to you but we want to make that 100%.”
