Car share guide - European Commission | Choose your ... · Car share guide. 1 1. Introduction 2 2....

© Transport for London, March 2007

Car share guide

1

1. Introduction 2

2. What is car sharing? 4

3. Planning a car share scheme 6

4. Implementing a car share scheme 14

5. Monitoring and review 30

6. Sources of additional help and guidance 32

Appendix 1: Car share checklist 34

Appendix 2: Sample car share travel survey 36

Appendix 3: Example business cases for car sharing 38

Appendix 4: Car share registration details form 44

Appendix 5: Troubleshooting manual 48

Appendix 6: Sample letter to insurance company 51

Acknowledgements 53

Contents

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1. Introduction

The average speed of traffic in GreaterLondon is little more than nine milesper hour – a direct result of the routinecongestion which dominates the roadnetwork during the morning and eveningrush hours. The resulting delays havea significant cost to the economy, yourorganisation and your employees –and it is cars being driven alone, ie oneoccupant, which are the largest contributorsto the problem.

With fuel prices currently the highest inhistory, parking spaces at a premium andCongestion Charging in place, car drivershave every reason to think carefully aboutsharing their journey to work. More carsharers will mean fewer cars on the road,leading to reduced congestion, less delays,faster journey times and cheaper motoring.Car sharing will save both employers andemployees time and money, will contributeto a more pleasant and efficient commuteto and from work, and will improve the wellbeing of staff. For every one less car thatparks on your site, you’re likely to save inexcess of £1,000 a year. Car sharing alsoprovides health, environmental and socialbenefits for the wider community.

And yet, if car sharing is so obviously a goodthing, why aren’t we all car sharing already?Well, usually it is because staff are not awareof like-minded people to share with.Launching a car sharing scheme for yourstaff will instantly overcome this by puttingpeople in touch with one another fromsimilar geographical locations, commonshift patterns, and similar likes and dislikeson their journey to work.

Launching a car share scheme is both costeffective and straightforward, bringingimmediate positive benefits. However, forthose tasked with implementing suchschemes, it is often a new area of work, andso Transport for London (TfL) has publishedthis guide to assist you through the process.It draws upon the experiences of manyorganisations which have already gonethrough the process of promoting car sharingto their staff, helping you to avoid anypotential pitfalls and to learn from what hasproven to work well elsewhere.

This guide outlines the different measuresneeded to manage a successful car sharescheme and provides advice on how toimplement these measures in a way that willmaximise success.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for any organisation which islooking for advice on how to implement andoperate a car sharing scheme. The guide ispresented in three main sections:

1. Planning a scheme – how to get it rightfor your site

2. Implementing a scheme – practical adviceon how to make the most of your scheme

3. Monitoring performance – ensuring yourscheme is effective

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In essence, the process of setting up andrunning a car sharing scheme is outlined below.

In addition, for simplicity, a number of toolsand pro formas have also been developed tohelp work through the process. These are allincluded in the appendices of the guide.

Stage 1:Planning a carshare scheme

Understand the benefits of a car share scheme

Obtain some basic data on staff travel and attitudes

Develop a business case

Establish your objectives

Stage 2:Implementinga car share scheme

Stage 3: Monitoring a carshare scheme

Obtain a car share database

Implement, monitor and review

Develop a mix of supporting measures:

1. The car share champion2. The car share coordinator3. Offer a package of incentives4. Ensure the sharers have priority parking spaces5. Offer a guaranteed ride home6. Market and promote the scheme

Overcome the perceptual barriers

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Car sharing is when two or more people,usually who are heading to the samedestination, travel together by car for all orpart of a journey. It is also known as lift sharing.

Why should I encourage my staff tocar share?

Car sharing has clear benefits for both your organisation and your employees (which, in turn, provide wider benefits for the local community).

For your organisation, car sharing will:

• Save your organisation money through the removal or reduction of car parkingspaces, each worth approximately £2,000

• Remove or reduce parking problems(an effective car sharing scheme canreduce the demand for spaces on yoursite by 50 per cent1)

• Help to relieve local traffic congestion

• Contribute towards your sustainabilityand environmental targets

• Demonstrate your commitment towardscorporate social responsibility

• Improve your corporate image

• Widen your potential recruitment market

• Create better internal social networks (anoften hidden attribute of car sharingemployees is that they will regularly talkabout work issues informally during theircommuting time, creating stronger socialbonds between employees)

What others have said aboutcar sharing

‘All companies should adopt andsupport this initiative’.

David Simpson – Scottish andSouthern Energy, CorporateEnvironmental Manager

‘It helps Halifax Bank of Scotland meetits corporate responsibility agenda… Itassists colleagues in reducing travelcosts and helps reduce environmentalpollution and congestion’.

Richard K. Lodge – Halifax Bank ofScotland Environmental and TravelCoordinator

‘It helps that our car share groupworks for the same employer, as wehave common ground for conversation.I suppose the company benefits tosome extent, as we often haveinformal business meetings while we’re travelling to and from work’.

Met Office employee

1. Department for Transport, Making Car Sharing andCar Clubs Work, 2005

2. What is car sharing?

For your employees, car sharing will:

• Provide significant cost savings as a resultof sharing the costs of petrol, car parkingand other vehicle running costs (onaverage, commuters that car share savethemselves £1,000 a year compared todriving alone2)

• Provide time savings if priority parking isprovided (saving time in finding a parkingspace as well as walking to and from it)

• Free up spaces for those who are unableto car share

• Enable those without a car to haveanother travel option available to them

• Enable them to travel more securely(particularly in the event of a breakdown)

• Ensure they are less stressed on thejourney to work

• Allow them to enjoy the social benefitsof sharing the journey

• Improve their work-life balance byensuring they leave work on time

• Empower them to feel that they are‘doing their bit’ for the environment

2. Department for Transport, Making Car Sharing andCar Clubs Work, 2005

Where do I start?

So how do you know if a car share schemewould be successful in your organisation?

Car sharing can be made to work in allsituations. However, as a general rule, you aremost likely to need a car share scheme if youcurrently experience any of the following:

• Significant numbers of staff driving to work

• Limited parking availability on site orexpensive car parking nearby

• Local traffic congestion

• Difficulties recruiting and retaining stafffrom a wide geographic region

• Staff grumbling about the cost and timeof their journey to work

• Seeking to relocate or expand, particularlyif you are faced with planning conditionswhich limit the availability of parking

3. Planning a car share scheme

Case Study: British Gas

In 2001, British Gas relocated to apurpose-built office, where 2,000 staffwere provided with only 380 car parkingspaces, having previously had theperceived luxury of 2,000 spaces. Carparking was understandably a majorstaff issue to overcome. By providing acomprehensive car sharing solution,70 per cent of staff shared a car daily,with staff members commending theorganisation on how their finances andquality of life had improved as a result.

How do you formally assess thefeasibility of a scheme?

If you are thinking about implementing a carshare scheme as part of a wider travel planinitiative3 or simply as a stand alone measure,it is advisable to undertake backgroundresearch. While there is no formalrequirement to do this, evidence suggeststhat finding out some basic informationabout your staff and their travel patterns willhelp to ensure the car share scheme istailored to their needs, resulting in a greaterchance of long term success. To betterinform the development of the car sharingscheme, you generally require (as a minimum)information on:

• How people currently travel to andfrom work

• Attitudes towards car sharing and othersustainable travel options, both positiveand negative

• Incentives and supporting measureswhich staff feel would encourage themmost to car share

Practical advice

At the information gathering stage of atravel plan, it is wise to be open withstaff, making them fully aware of whyyou are seeking to develop a car sharingscheme. Stressing the benefits to theemployee is a crucial part of thisprocess, and this early consultationstage should be seen as an opportunityto make staff feel like they are part ofthe evolving solution, and that staffopinions are important in defining howthe scheme is developed.

3 A travel plan is a management tool which allowsyou to effectively manage transport to your site.It will produce a package of measures to promotesustainable access to your workplace, and reducereliance upon the single occupancy car.

There are two main ways of consulting withstaff to find out information:

1. Travel surveys

These provide the opportunity to questionstaff quickly and efficiently, and producequantifiable results. It is important to keep thequestionnaire simple to maximise theresponse rate, yet ensure you receive theinformation that will be important indeveloping the scheme. For example, it will beimportant to gain information not only on howstaff currently travel, but also what wouldmotivate them to try car sharing. Incentivisingthe return of each questionnaire willencourage a higher response rate (for exampleentry into a free prize draw), as will simplifyingthe return process (for example distributing andreturning the questionnaire electronicallythrough your company email system).

TfL has designed a standardised travel surveyfor organisations that are undertaking widertravel planning initiatives. In addition, TfL isoffering incentives and support packages toorganisations implementing workplace travelplans that use these standardised survey toolsand is encouraging all London basedorganisations to follow this approach toensure a degree of consistency. However, if you plan to implement car sharing as anindividual measure, then Appendix 2includes sample questions purely relating to car sharing.

2. Focus groups

These provide the opportunity to gathermore in depth information and explore whatreally makes people tick. Ideally they shouldbe facilitated by an independent person.When inviting staff to join a focus group,try to get a good mix of personalities, jobroles (including Human Resources and FacilityManagers), ages and genders (including thosethat already car share) to ensure thediscussion doesn’t become dominated by asingle issue.

Practical advice

Having undertaken the backgroundresearch on your staff travel habits andtheir attitudes to car sharing, it wouldbe worth feeding this information backto your staff, so that they can clearlysee how the information gathered isbeing used to define a scheme whichmeets their needs.

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The first hurdle that many potential schemesencounter is how to convince the managementteam that car sharing is worth investing in.Of course, the employer and employeebenefits listed in the introduction are strongarguments themselves, but if you need toadd more weight to the argument then it isworthwhile developing a business case.

To make the business case for setting up a carshare scheme, it is necessary to look at thelikely costs and to set these against the likelybenefits. If the benefits outweigh the costs,then the case is made. The likely costs andbenefits are outlined in the following table.

Developing a business case

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An example of how these costs and benefitscan be applied to a business case to suitdifferent sizes of organisation is given inAppendix 3.

There are other benefits that you might wishto include in your business case, such asmaking more intensive use of your officeaccommodation – in effect enabling morestaff to work at your site, without providingadditional car parking spaces. Researchundertaken by the Department for Transportidentified that, on average, organisations thathave implemented successful schemes havebeen able to reduce the number of car parkspaces provided per staff member from 0.8to 0.4 – halving the parking spaces requiredat their sites.

Management needs to understand thesavings and approve the business case, butequally importantly they also need to ‘getbehind’ the car share scheme through leadingby example by car sharing themselves and/orproviding adequate incentives for car sharers.Senior management can also play animportant role by influencing departmentalmanagers and team leaders to promote carsharing among employees.

Case Study: E.ON UK(Powergen)

E.ON UK (Powergen) has implementeda very successful car sharing scheme,underpinned by the offer of 50 penceper staff member per day for carsharing. While the company pays out£70,000 in incentive payments for staffeach year, it saves £104,000 a year byhanding back 150 car parking spaceswhich they had previously leased froma local car park provider.

Case Study: Tesco

Tesco launched a car share scheme atits two head offices in Hertfordshire in2005. Since the launch of the scheme,almost 10 per cent of employees haveregistered (figure for mid-2006).Together they have cut the number ofdaily journeys by 100, resulting in anoverall employee saving of £150,000.

An employee quote on carsharing

‘I am pleased to say that I havearranged to car share with a manager inmy office. Works perfectly!’. Council employee

Purchasing a Liftshare scheme

Staff time spent marketing and monitoring the scheme

Reduced number of parking spaces

From £500 per annum

£200 per 20 car parking spaces

£200 per 20 car parking spaces

Potential costs

Potential benefits

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Note: * Car park running costs vary widely across London, typically between £2,000 and £6,000 per yearSource: Liftshare.com

Providing marketing material to help raise awareness ofthe scheme

5% reduction in spaces per year @ £2,000 per spacerunning cost*

Providing incentives to encourage people to join thescheme and to share a car

1 hour per week (equivalent to £10) per 20 carparking spaces

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When setting out your objectives, make sureyou have a means of measuring whether ornot you have achieved them. For example, itwill be difficult to assess whether you havereduced the amount of over-spill parking onneighbouring roads, unless you can quantifythe extent of the existing problem, and havethe means to assess the impact afterimplementing your scheme. It may also behelpful to set out interim milestones tomaintain progress and monitoring towardsyour end goals and targets.

Defining your objectives andsetting targets

At this point it might be worth setting down afew key objectives (ie what you want your carshare scheme to achieve and why). These canbe useful in selling the scheme to staff, andassessing whether your scheme has been asuccess. Targets should be SMART: Specific,Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. As an example, your targetsmight be set out as in the following table.

Practical advice

As a guide, research undertaken bythe Department for Transport(Making Car Sharing and Car ClubsWork) has indicated thatorganisations which implementan effective car sharing schemeincrease multi-occupancy car useby 21 per cent.

To reduce the percentage of staff arriving to work in single-occupancy vehicles

To reduce the number of car parking spaces provided on-site

To reduce the amount of over-spill car parking on neighbouring roads

To gain planning consent for a building extension

To fulfil our social and corporate responsibility requirements, for example, toreduce carbon dioxide emissions across the organisation

65% 60%

300 250

30 cars No cars

Pending Granted

100% 80%

Objectives SMART TargetCurrently By 2010

Supporting measures that will get themost from your car sharing database

The essential components in any successfulcar sharing scheme are the tools andtechniques that are used to encourage staffto register their details on the database. Thelarger the number of registered sharers, thegreater the chance of identifying commonjourneys, and thus making car sharing aviable option.

Fortunately, many organisations have alreadytried and tested different approaches topromoting car sharing, and research carriedout on the most successful car sharingschemes around the UK, has identified theessential components, which, if deliveredwithin your organisation, are likely to result inthe greatest level of success. The skill inensuring a scheme is successful is selectingwhich of the essential components will mostclosely meet your specific needs.

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What do I need to start up a carshare scheme and how do I do it?

The fundamental component of any carsharing scheme is how to match potentialsharers. There are many different potentialways of achieving this, each way relying ondifferent levels of Human Resources and ITcapability, such as developing bespokesoftware using the in-house IT department,using spreadsheets and databases or even aninformal car share register or notice board.TfL, in partnership with Liftshare.com, hassought to simplify the process for allLondon-based organisations of any size, byoffering an online database matching service.

Liftshare.com is a matching system thatoperates over the internet. It matchesindividuals together by studying people’stravel patterns (ie where they live and wherethey work) and matches them with otherpeople living nearby who are going their way.Liftshare.com offers three different schemes:

• Option 1: Public groups –where employees can join an area-widecar share scheme and are matched withpeople from other organisations as wellas their own

• Option 2: Private schemes –part of an area-wide scheme butemployees are only matched with othersfrom their organisation

• Option 3: Branded schemes –where a scheme is set up specificallyfor an organisation, and employeesshare with other employees from thesame organisation

4. Implementing a car share scheme

Car sharer quote

‘I actually found someone living sevenminutes drive from my house, working inthe same building, on the same floor –in another department and doing thesame hours’.Halifax Bank of Scotland employee

Practical advice

Don’t worry, more sharers doesn’tmean more work for you. The car sharedatabase automatically deals with theregistrations and matching process,giving you more time to encouragestaff to join the scheme.

Individual organisations will require individualsolutions and other commercial options areavailable. In London, the local governmenthas set up a system with Liftshare.comwhich organisations can use. A range ofpackages are available on the LondonLiftshare website (www.londonliftshare.com)under the ‘business section’.

Can I get any help to pay for it?

If you have visited the London Liftsharewebsite, you will see that the costs are smallwhen compared to the benefits that a carshare scheme can deliver (as set out in theintroduction of this guide). You might also beable to get some additional help to pay for it,for example, if you are developing a car sharingscheme as part of a travel plan. TfL is offeringto match fund up to £1,000 and the cost ofpurchasing your car share database license iseligible for this match funding support.

In addition, TfL provides wider support,advice and incentives for organisationsimplementing their own workplace travel plan.For more details, email [email protected]

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1. A champion for the scheme

A car share champion is someone who is anadvocate of the scheme and committed tomaking it a success. The champion should bein a position of authority or somebody thatpeople respect, for example the ChiefExecutive or a member of the Board. The carshare champion provides a public face to thescheme, for example participating in photocalls, mentioning the car share scheme whentalking to managers and large numbers ofstaff, even washing one car sharers’ car perweek as is the case in one company.

2. A car share coordinator – to help it allrun smoothly

This role is different to that of the champion,as coordinators are responsible for the day-to-day management of a car share scheme.This includes answering general and specificqueries from staff, ‘putting on a human face’to the car share scheme, promoting andmarketing the scheme, collecting data aboutthe levels of car sharing, and reviewing andmonitoring the scheme as time goes on.

The main qualities required are anenthusiastic and persevering nature, goodcommunication skills, and an ability toinfluence those around them – in essence, apeople person who has a good rapport withstaff and is able to promote and market thescheme at all levels. Both the champion andcoordinator are long term roles needed toguarantee the continuity of the scheme.

Car share coordinators typically spend threeminutes per on-site car parking space perweek looking after car share matters, such

as marketing and developing the scheme.In terms of the potential savings this timeshould be viewed as an investment.

Where possible, car share coordinatorsshould communicate with all employees inorder to promote the scheme and to receivefeedback. They should also keepcommunication channels open with seniormanagement. Senior managers shouldencourage those managers below them to trycar sharing and they, in turn, shouldencourage their teams/employees. The topicof car sharing should also be discussed atany regular team briefings or meetings. Thecommunication channels should provide amechanism for feedback enabling employeesto voice their comments and opinions totheir team managers, who can then reportback to the car share coordinator.

3. Incentives

Offering incentives is the most effectiveway of increasing membership levels, andhelping to overcome objections to carsharing from employees. When thinkingabout incentives, it is worth asking yourselfand some of your colleagues the followingquestion – what would convince you to carshare on a regular basis?

The following table sets out some typical carshare incentives. It is important to note thatwhile the table contains a number of highimpact measures, it is a combination ofincentives tailored to the needs of your sitewhich will make the biggest difference.

Practical advice

For car sharing schemes covering anumber of employers, the car sharecoordinator is likely to be an appointedmember of staff from the leademployer or based in a commutercentre which is funded and managedon behalf of all staff on site. If you aretasked with implementing a scheme ona business park with several employers,then please email TfL([email protected]), which will providesupport to get you started.

Practical advice

There are lots of different incentivesthat will encourage your staff to carshare. It helps to be creative, and tothink about what would work for youremployees. Review the questionnairesurveys to try and identify somecommon trends or ideas, or even run acontest for the most imaginativereward scheme.

Hinxton Hall offered potential carsharers Easter eggs when they signedup to the car share scheme. The initiativewas a great success as an extra 16 percent of staff shared a car on the dayand 10 new car share members foundregular matches.

MBNA Financial Services offers 75 penceper day to car sharers, and as a resultthey have increased the number ofmulti-occupancy cars on site by morethan 25 per cent.

E.ON UK (Powergen) offers a 50 pencevoucher for sharing each day, which isredeemable in the staff restaurant. Singleoccupancy car use has reduced by13 per cent.

Barclaycard offered a prize draw of aSMART car once 750 staff had used thecar share car park.

Peterborough City Council run anongoing quarterly prize draw for allmembers of the public that sign upto the car sharing scheme.

Heathrow Airport offer staff a 20 per centdiscount from the RAC. At least 4,045people have registered on the databaseand 56 per cent are actively sharing.

Heathrow Airport offer a 20 per centdiscount at Specsavers and a 10 per centdiscount with Debenhams Direct.Heathrow Airport estimate that betweenApril 2001 and December 2004, the carshare scheme has reduced distancesdriven by 42,211,476 km and savedapproximately 2,212,806 litres of fuel.

Egg car sharers are exempt from the75 pence daily parking charge. As aresult, 26 per cent of Egg employeesregularly car share to work.

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Incentives Impact Example

2. Prize draw

3. Discounts

1. Financial

Instant gratification High

High

Medium

Medium

Medium

Low

Low

High

Cash for sharing on a daily basis

Vouchers for sharing on a daily basis

One-off prize draw

Regular prize draw for sharing

Motoring organisations

Local amenities/facilities

Parking charges

Barclaycard car sharers save themselvesfive minutes each day hunting for a carshare space and park close to thebuilding – the equivalent of an additional2.5 days leave a year. There are 310 carshare spaces on site and these are filledby 09:30 every morning. Based on atleast two people sharing a car, 24 percent of staff car share to work.

Staff at Canterbury City Council whotravel to work 'green' (including carsharing) at least three days out of everyfive, are entitled to an extra day's annualleave at the end of the year.

British Gas has restricted access to itscar park to car sharers and essentialusers only. As a result, 70 per cent ofstaff car share to work.

Incentives Impact Example

5. Car parking management

4. Staff benefits

Extra annual leave Medium

HighRestricted parking

Practical advice

As most financial incentives are subjectto tax and National Insurancecontributions, it is best to contact theInland Revenue at an early stage todiscuss any issues.

Also, don’t forget that just by sharing the tripto work, financial savings will be made. Forexample, if three car drivers decide to carshare, they may take it in turns to drive oneweek to work therefore theoretically reducing

their fuel bill by two thirds. The decreasednumber of miles driven by each driver mayalso help to reduce their car insurancepremium. The following table summarisessome typical cost savings.

Distanceto work(miles)

Cost of car Numberofsharers

Savingsper sharer(per year)*

Less than £10,000 15 3 £700

£10,000 - £13,000 20 2 £800

£20,000 - £30,000 20 4 £1,700

Note: * includes typical running costs such as fuel andtyres, but excludes fixed running costs such as roadtax, insurance, cost of capital, depreciation andbreakdown cover.

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Practical advice

When the car sharing relationship relieson only one driver, passengers willgenerally pay a contribution to the fueland running costs, usually in the orderof between 5p - 15p per mile.

If there is more than one passenger, thenthe cost should be shared on an equitablebasis. In order to ensure the driver is notliable for any tax on the monies receivedfrom passengers, it is important that onlythe running cost of the vehicle is coveredby payments, and that no profit is attainedby the driver.

4. Priority and dedicated parking spaces

Dedicated parking spaces for car sharers area specific incentive which can play a largepart in influencing people to car share,especially if your site has a shortage ofparking spaces (and what is even moreappealing is a guaranteed parking spacevery near to the main entrance). Car sharingemployees will not have to waste valuabletime trying to park their car, and their walkto and from their car will be shorter too,which is convenient for them and meansthey will be ready to work sooner.

Dedicated parking spaces need to be clearlysigned, perhaps painted in a differentcolour and/or displaying a car share logo.Dedicated spaces add credibility and send astrong message to employees that anorganisation is taking its scheme seriously.TfL, as part of its support for organisationsdeveloping workplace travel plans, canprovide car sharing signs if deemedappropriate to support that particular plan.

Practical advice

As a general rule you should always tryto provide enough spaces for thedemand, plus a little extra. Remember– more than enough is just enough.

Calculate your existing amounts of carsharing from your travel surveys andthen try to predict the demand fromthe same source. The aim is toimplement 20 per cent extra car sharepriority parking spaces than you needso there will always be parking spacesavailable for increases in activity. Youneed to review the situation regularly,as once the spaces are full,disappointment will become ademotivator.

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Dedicated car share spaces need to beenforced to make sure that non car sharingemployees are not abusing the system byparking their cars in the dedicated spaces.One way to overcome this is by issuing carsharing permits, issued to both drivers andpassengers which must be displayed in thecorner of the windscreen or on thedashboard. Random checks should be madeevery few days, so that all staff know thatthey cannot park in the dedicated spacesunless they display the permits. There aremany different approaches to enforcementof car sharing spaces, and you will need toconsider the practicalities of whicheverapproach you take. TfL is able to provide freeadvice in this area – email the WorkplaceTravel Planning Team at [email protected]

A more elaborate form of enforcementwould be to designate a part of a car parkjust for car sharers and restrict entry to thearea by a barrier operated by a swipe card ormetal tokens, or you could use personnel orsecurity staff to control entry to the area.This approach has the added benefit ofrecording the number of car sharers on adaily basis – and if you are thinking ofproviding an incentive for car sharing, thedata recorded for car park access can be usedto administer this.

Practical advice

A simple but effective way of enforcingpriority parking is to ask car sharers to be on the look-out for any abuse of the system by non car sharingemployees. It is likely that car sharerswill be particularly protective of their‘perk’ and be the first to file acomplaint when others are abusing the system, particularly if they are ableto anonymously report infringements.

5. Guaranteed ride home

A guaranteed ride home is a scheme thatensures employees (who are car sharepassengers) can get home should they findthemselves stranded if their car share partnerlets them down or needs to leave early orlate. This may be a taxi paid for by yourorganisation, a bus or train fare, or a liftfrom a fellow employee. This is an importantcomponent of most car sharing schemes,as it provides re-assurance for members.There will be no tax or National Insurancecontributions to pay if the circumstances couldnot have been anticipated or planned for.

It is worth setting aside a budget to coverthe cost of these emergency journeys, andsetting up an account with a local taxi firm tomake the booking and payment process aseasy as possible.

Practical advice

Evidence has suggested that the actualusage of guaranteed ride homejourneys is very low, and a budget of£100 a year seems to cover mostorganisations. If your costs forproviding a guaranteed ride home arerising above this then re-examine yourscheme design, you might be able touse other sharers to offer emergencylifts, or look to re-address themanagement issues that are resultingin staff regularly leaving outside theirworking hours. An advice sheet onadministering a guaranteed ride homescheme is available to download fromwww.liftshare.com

6. Marketing and promotion

Marketing and promotion are fundamental tothe success of any scheme, and is generallyundertaken by both the car share coordinatorand champion. There are two key strands tomarketing your car share scheme:

• Awareness-raising

• Generating membership

Both of these strands are essential, and bothrequire slightly different approaches. If youcan raise awareness and in the same actiongenerate membership that’s great, but oftenthe two may be separate activities.

Awareness-raising

If only 10 per cent of people know about yourscheme, then 90 per cent will never join.

Firstly, have an understanding of who shouldknow about the car share scheme, typically:

• All car drivers and passengers

• Senior management

• The Human Resources teams

• The car park managers

Secondly, aim to make all these peopleaware that:

• You have a scheme

• How it may benefit them

• How they can take part

There are a number of tools and techniqueswhich have proven to be successfulelsewhere in raising awareness. For cardrivers and passengers:

• Design a logo and/or slogan, somethingthat people can recognise andimmediately associate with car sharing.You should then use this logo and/orslogan on all of the publicity materialthat you use

• Put a sign at the entrance to the carpark(s), letting them know you have ascheme

• Once a year, give each car entering thesite a leaflet/A4 document about thescheme

• Put a notice board up in reception

• Put up eye-catching posters on staffnotice boards and communal areas

• Put an easy to find link on your intranet

• Send an email to all members of staff tolet them know about the scheme

• Consider producing promotional itemssuch as mouse mats, stress balls, mugs,rulers, pens, key rings and car stickers

For senior management, Human Resourcesteam and car park managers:

• Organise half-hour demonstrations

• If people are unable to attend, offerto give them a quick demonstrationat their desk

• Give each person a basic informationsheet and include your contact details

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Generating membership

While awareness-raising is important, it iswasted unless people actually join thescheme. The more people that join, thebetter it will be. And the better it is, themore people will join. The success of yourefforts will depend on many factors such asenthusiasm, time, budget, managementsupport, availability of incentives and external factors (for instance petrol andparking prices).

Before starting, it is important to set yourselfa SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,Realistic and Time-Bound) membershiptarget. You can do this by looking at yourstaff travel survey results or doing a quickgate count and then aim to increase existinglevels by a set percentage over a definedtime period. While your target may change inthe future, it is essential to monitor thesuccess of your efforts so you can see whatworks and what doesn’t.

Practical advice

Evidence suggests that the financialsavings are a good place to start whenmarketing your scheme. It is also worthconsidering novel ways of presentingthis financial information (for example,money savings from one weeks’ carsharing can buy you a cinema ticket ora few drinks at the pub).

Practical advice

It is important to remain flexible whenconsidering your marketing approach. Agood idea is to try to maximise theopportunity of current news storiesand also periods of change. It is mucheasier to start a habit during a time ofchange than it is during a period ofstability. For example, use an officemove, the New Year, rising petrol pricesand the introduction or rise in parkingcharges, to your advantage.

Having set a target, consider your resourcesand see how best to use what you haveeasily available. One of the most importantthings is to make joining the schemeappealing and very easy. Firstly:

• Identify people who already share a carto your site (these people are likely tosupport you, and should becomestrong allies)

• Ask them why they do so, and what theythink would encourage more people totry it. They should provide you with goodquotes and ideas to use in your marketingmaterial such as staff newsletter articles

• Offer them a small incentive, for examplea chocolate bar, for joining themselvesand their travel companions into theformal scheme. Even if their car is full, itis good to have successful case studies torefer to.

Having undertaken some general awareness-raising, and gained the support of the existingsharers, consider the following as ways ofmaximising your membership uptake fornew users:

• Arrange a launch event, perhaps a seriesof display boards. Use the display boardsto incentivise people to join on the dayand help them to do this when theirinterest is high. Give peopledemonstrations of how the systemworks, and make it easy for them toregister there and then

• Set up regular car share coffee mornings –these provide informal opportunities forpotential sharers to meet others who maylive near them. Those who meet potentialmatches can arrange a ‘one week trial’ tosee how they get on

25

26

• Providing you have chosen to set up aguaranteed ride home scheme (which isstrongly recommended), promote this toall potential staff to instil confidence

• Ensure that all new staff are told aboutthe scheme during their induction and arehelped to join at that stage if possible

• Arrange one or two annual events thatbecome a regular feature of the officecalendar, such as National Liftshare Dayon the 14 June

• Consider setting up a system when, on agiven day each week or month, a memberof staff may not drive to work. Itencourages people to car share for thatday and, having done it, they are morelikely to do it again

Practical advice

Sometimes it takes a more personalapproach to reach employees andtalking to people on a one-to-onebasis can give them that extra bit ofencouragement that they may need togive it a go. Although this approach isstaff intensive, it does yield particularlystrong results.

‘I was drawn to car sharing by theposter and leaflet campaign. But, ontheir own, these messages did not dothe trick. What ‘converted the sale’ waswhen the field sales campaign teamdescended on my office and put theoffer to me face-to-face at my desk.’

(Quote from Heathrow Airport carshare employee)

Overcoming common perceptual problems

A phrase often heard by car sharecoordinators starts like this: ‘I would carshare but…’ and is followed by a catalogueof potential barriers which prevent car sharing.

However insignificant or irrelevant these mightseem, it is vital that a response is forthcoming,as without a solution to the problem raised,users will simply not partake. Given thediversity of these barriers, we have set outsome of the more common objections, andsolutions to these in Appendix 5.

Three of the most common questions are:

• Will it affect my car insurance?No, it shouldn’t affect your insuranceprovided you are not making a financialgain out of car sharing. If staff areconcerned about this issue then it isworth them contacting their insurancecompany to tell them that they are takingpart in a car sharing scheme. A sampleletter to insurance companies foremployees to use is provided inAppendix 6.

• Can people who don’t drive a car stillcar share?Yes, they can as car share passengers.Car sharing can open up travel optionsto employees who perhaps struggle withfinding a convenient bus route to workor those that find themselves walking orcycling a very long way. Car sharing canalso be promoted for business travelduring the working day. There is also atax incentive for car sharing as driverswho carry work colleagues as passengerson a business trip can claim 5p per mileper passenger.

• Will I be able to pick and choose mycar sharing partner?Yes, in most cases schemes provide theflexibility to change arrangements, and toselect partners based upon certaincriteria. All of this information is soughtduring the registration process, andincludes the ability to share with partnersof the same sex, non smokers, or eventhose that listen to the same radiostation. Some organisations havedeveloped their own ‘pledge’ which issigned by all members of the car sharingscheme – providing credibility for otherpotential sharers that everyone abides bycommon principles.

Similarly, employers themselves often thinkthat car sharing isn’t for them, because ofpreconceived views on what makes asuccessful scheme. Common objections tobe overcome include:

• Car sharing won’t work here becauseof the shift patterns that we workActually, car sharing has proven to workparticularly well for staff who workshifts, as generally staff start and finishat very clearly defined times. TheLiftshare.com registration process willensure shift patterns are taken intoaccount when matching potentialsharers. However, strong managementsupport is required as all levels ofmanagement must accept that staff whocar share need to leave at certain timesas other people are depending on them.

27

• Half of our workers don’t have accessto the internet

If this is the case, then it is likely that thecar share coordinator will need to issue apaper copy of the car share registrationform (Appendix 4) to those staff who donot have internet access. Oncecompleted forms have been handed back,the staff details can be inputted to thematching database by the coordinator.When matches are found, the coordinatorcan provide each staff member withcontact details of their potentialmatches, and at the same time offersome further encouragement to them toget in contact and give car sharing a go.

• We have plenty of parking

Yes but how much are all those parkingspaces costing you? With the annualrunning cost of a parking space in theregion of £2,000, giving up just 20 spaceswill save you £40,000 a year. The savingscan help to pay for staff incentives to carshare, and the parking spaces which havebeen given up could provide space for anoffice extension.

• Most of our staff don’t drive anyway

Well, chances are you might think this, butyour travel survey may well reveal someinteresting trends. While not all of yourstaff may drive directly to work, it is likelythat a certain amount drive for some partof their journey, for example driving to arailway station where parking charges areincurred. Car sharers can split these parkingcosts as well as petrol costs incurred bysharing with fellow ‘park and riders’.

Practical advice

The registration details form is quitestraightforward to fill in and so it isworth asking people to complete theforms on the spot to ensure that(a) they do it and (b) you receive all therequired details.

Car sharer quotes

‘Car sharing helps us work smarter andmore efficiently. If you know you’ve gotto get something done before your liftleaves, you get on and do it’.Government CommunicationsHeadquarters (GCHQ) employee

‘It makes me plan things better. PeopleI work with are aware of the hours Iwork and of my travel arrangements. Itgives me a rest, allows me to do somereading and make telephone calls’.Heathrow Airport employee

29

So once I’ve done all that, is there anythingelse I need to think about? The answer is yes- there is one last but very important aspectto consider.

Staff will come and go, new incentives maybe introduced, but the car share scheme ishere to stay. Regular, ongoing marketing,promotion and communication withemployees by the car share coordinatorand champion are essential to keep a carshare scheme alive with updated andrefreshed information.

In order to justify the expenditure andcommitment to the scheme provided by themanagement, it is recommended that youmonitor the levels of car sharing among staffto see how many people are continuing toshare. Unfortunately, monitoring car shareusage is not always the easiest stage in theprocess. Tools and techniques you mightwant to consider are:

• Undertaking a simple survey at the mainreception, asking staff how they travelledin that day

• Undertaking an annual staff travelsurvey (ideally in accordance withiTRACE requirements4) which recordshow staff currently travel, and whethertheir behaviour has changed during thepast year

• A ‘one day’ occupancy count at your carpark entrance (in essence, counting thenumber of people per car, and the numberof cars). The data can be presented as an‘occupancy rate’ (ie the average number ofpeople per car), from which performancecan be easily monitored each year

5. Monitoring and review

• A vehicle count of cars parked in thededicated car share bays. This provides agood overall measure of usage, but it isimportant that the spaces are enforcedproperly if this approach is to providegood quality information

• Encouraging staff to feedback their carsharing usage to the Liftshare.comwebsite

• Utilising car park barrier technology andswipe cards, if you have a dedicated carparking area set aside for sharers

In Section Three of the guide we recommendedsetting out some objectives and targets foryour scheme. Now is the time to review theseand see if you are achieving them.

In addition to the management team, staff willbe interested to know how the car sharesystem is going. If you are implementing such ascheme as part of a planning consent, then it islikely to be a statutory requirement to providethis data on an annual basis to the planningauthority, in line with London DevelopmentControl standards and iTRACE compliance.

If you are feeling particularly enlightened bythe results of your scheme, then TfL wouldalso be very pleased to hear about any newsuccess stories so that lessons learnt can beshared with other organisations. You mighteven find yourself as a case study in futureeditions of this guide. To report yoursuccesses, please contact the WorkplaceTravel Planning Team so they can spread thegood news (email: [email protected]).

30

4 TfL iTRACE compliance is at least a full survey every two years with snapshot surveys duringintervening years.

The London Liftshare website(www.londonliftshare.com) contains usefuladvice and help, and details the packagesavailable to employers. It also details theincentives available. The incentives will changeas time goes on and therefore it is worthlooking on the website on a regular basis tosee how your organisation can take advantage.

If you can’t find the answer to your query on the website, then you can email the TfLWorkplace Travel Planning Team [email protected] and they will be able tohelp you.

Other support networks which offer practicaladvice can be found at:

• Transport for London (www.tfl.gov.uk)

• Department for Transport(www.dft.gov.uk)

• London Liftshare(www.londonliftshare.com)

• Association for Commuter Transport(www.act-uk.com)

• TravelWise (www.travelwise.org.uk)

• Liftshare solutions(www.liftsharesolutions.com)

Information and advice is also available viathe Sub Regional Travel Plan Coordinators.The following table provides contact detailsfor each sub-region, together with whichborough they cover.

6. Sources of additional helpand guidance

North London Travel Plans (NLTP)

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.nltp.org.uk

WESTTRANS


Web: www.westlondonalliance.org

South & West London Transport Conference (SWELTRAC)


Web: www.sweltrac.org.uk

North Central Travel Plan Network (NCTN)


Web: www.camden.gov.uk/nctn

Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP)


Web: www.thames-gateway.org.uk

South East London Transport Strategy (SELTRANS)


Web: www.seltrans.org.uk/travelplans.asp

Barnet

Enfield

Waltham Forest

Brent

Ealing

Hammersmith & Fulham

Harrow

Hillingdon

Hounslow

Croydon

Hammersmith & Fulham

Hillingdon

Hounslow

Kensington & Chelsea

Kingston

Merton

Richmond

Sutton

Wandsworth

Camden

City of London

Haringey

Islington

Kensington & Chelsea

Westminster

Barking & Dagenham

Hackney

Havering

Newham

Redbridge

Tower Hamlets

Bexley

Bromley

Croydon

Greenwich

Lambeth

Lewisham

Southwark

Sub-region Borough

3332

34

Appendix 1:Car share checklist

Key stages Tick oncecompleted

Consultation with staff through travel survey and/or focus groups completed

Objectives and initial targets established

Secure any necessary funding

Car sharing matching database set up

Support received from senior management for the scheme

Car share champion appointed

Car share coordinator appointed

Incentives – creative brainstorm

Incentives costed and agreed upon (including guaranteed ride home)

Priority parking marked out in the car park (if applicable)

Clear signage to car share car parking areas

Marketing and promotional materials – creative brainstorm

Marketing and promotional materials produced

Marketing and promotional material distributed among staff

Solutions to the perceptual barriers established

Car share permits issued to car sharers

Ongoing marketing and promotion of the scheme

Enforcement of priority parking (if applicable)

Monitor levels of car sharing

Sell the success back to staff

Feedback findings of review into ongoing scheme development process

Link results into organisation travel plan

Planning the scheme

Implementing the scheme

Monitoring performance

1. Home postcode:

2. Are you: Male: Female:

3. Age: Years

4. What hours do you generally work? Working Day: Start: Finish:

Lunch: Start: Finish:

5. Current mode of transport to work: Car – on own Days per week

Car sharing – driver Days per week

Car sharing – passenger Days per week

Bicycle Days per week

Bus Days per week

Tram Days per week

Tube Days per week

Rail Days per week

Bike & rail Days per week

Walking Days per week

Motorcycle/moped Days per week

Work from home Days per week

Other (please specify)

6. Main reason for choosing your mode Cost Reliabilityof transport to work

Distance Speed/time of journey(please tick all relevant)

Environment Family needs

No other feasible option Personal space/preference

Need car for work Independence/flexibility

Safer than other options Other (please specify)

Health

7. How far do you travel to work? miles (one way – approximate number of miles)

8. On average, how long does it take you to travel to work? minutes

3736

9. On a scale of 1 to 5, please indicate how likely you are to car share for your journeys to and from work

Car sharing with another member of staff

Would definitely take part 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Would never consider

Car sharing with another person in the area not necessarily from your work place

Would definitely take part 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Would never consider

10. Which of the following would Help with finding a partnerencourage you to car share

Guaranteed ride home(please tick all relevant boxes)

Reserved parking space

Clear management support

Clear advice on cost savings

Cash incentive for sharers

Nothing, I would not car share

Other (please specify)

11. What would encourage you to leave your car at home, even for one day a month?

12. Other comments/suggestions relating to sustainable transport issues:

Thank you for your time in completing this questionnaire.

All information will be used in confidence.

PRIZE DRAW:

If you wish to be included in a prize draw for a new bike worth £XXX, please provide your personaldetails below.

Name

Address

Home postcode

Contact telephone number

Section 2 – Car sharing initiatives

Appendix 2:Sample car share travel survey

Section 1 – General details

39

Year

1 2 3 4

Costs

Annual administrative costs

Annual software costs

Annual incentives costs

Annual marketing material costs

Total cost of scheme

Benefits

Car park cost saving (Outer London)

Car park cost saving (Inner London)

Car park cost saving (central London)

Total savings

Outer London

Inner London

Central London

Benefit : Cost ratios

Outer London

Inner London

Central London

£500 £500 £500 £500 £2,000

£500 £500 £500 £500 £2,000

£200 £200 £200 £200 £800

£200 £200 £200 £200 £800

£1,400 £1,400 £1,400 £1,400 £5,600

£2,000 £4,000 £6,000 £8,000 £20,000

£3,000 £6,000 £9,000 £12,000 £30,000

£6,000 £12,000 £18,000 £24,000 £60,000

£600 £2,600 £4,600 £6,600 £14,400

£1,600 £4,600 £7,600 £10,600 £24,400

£4,600 £10,600 £16,600 £22,600 £54,400

1.4:1 2.9:1 4.3:1 5.7:1 3.6:1

2.1:1 4.3:1 6.4:1 8.6:1 5.4:1

4.3:1 8.6:1 12.9:1 17.1:1 10.7:1

Four-year cost-benefit analysis

Notes(1) The table above only looks at the savings from reducing parking spaces. The other savings, such as cutting

business travel costs, increasing punctuality and reducing local congestion will simply add to the benefits ofsetting up a scheme.

(2) Assumed costs of parking spaces in Inner, Outer and central London have been estimated and rounded up usingparking costs from eight example car parks in the three broad areas of London and multiplying these costs bythe number of days it is assumed people use them, in this case, 240 (assuming 52 weekends and 21 days annual leave).

Appendix 3:Example business casesfor car sharing

Number of car parking spaces 20

Assumed cost of car parking space (Outer London) £2,000 per annum

Assumed cost of car parking space (Inner London) £3,000 per annum

Assumed cost of car parking space (central London) £6,000 per annum

Administrative time per week 1 hour per 20 spaces

Weeks per year 50

Administrative cost £10 per hour

Car parking spaces saved 5% per annum

Annual software cost £500 per annum

Annual incentives cost £200 per 20 car parking spaces

Annual marketing material cost £200 per 20 car parking spaces

Assumptions:

Example 1: Small business

4-yearTotal

41

Year

1 2 3 4

Costs






Benefits




Total savings

Outer London

Inner London

Central London


Outer London

Inner London

Central London

£2,500 £2,500 £2,500 £2,500 £10,000

£500 £500 £500 £500 £2,000

£1,000 £1,000 £1,000 £1,000 £4,000

£1,000 £1,000 £1,000 £1,000 £4,000

£5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £20,000

£10,000 £20,000 £30,000 £40,000 £100,000

£15,000 £30,000 £45,000 £60,000 £150,000

£30,000 £60,000 £90,000 £120,000 £300,000

£5,000 £15,000 £25,000 £35,000 £80,000

£10,000 £25,000 £40,000 £55,000 £130,000

£25,000 £55,000 £85,000 £115,000 £280,000

2:1 4:1 6:1 8:1 5:1

3:1 6:1 9:1 12:1 7.5:1

6.1 12:1 18:1 24:1 15:1










Weeks per year 50



Annual software cost £500 per annum



Assumptions:

Example 2: Medium business

4-yearTotal

43

Year

1 2 3 4

Costs






Benefits




Total savings

Outer London

Inner London

Central London


Outer London

Inner London

Central London

£12,500 £12,500 £12,500 £12,500 £50,000

£1,000 £1,000 £1,000 £1,000 £4,000

£5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £20,000

£5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £20,000

£23,500 £23,500 £23,500 £23,500 £94,000

£50,000 £100,000 £150,000 £200,000 £500,000

£75,000 £150,000 £225,000 £300,000 £750,000

£150,000 £300,000 £450,000 £600,000 £1,500,000

£26,500 £76,500 £126,500 £176,500 £406,000

£51,500 £126,500 £201,500 £276,500 £656,000

£126,500 £276,500 £426,500 £576,500 £1,406,000

2.1:1 4.3:1 6.4:1 8.5:1 5.3:1

3.2:1 6.4:1 9.6:1 12.8:1 8:1

6.4:1 12.8:1 19.1:1 25.5:1 16:1










Weeks per year 50



Annual software cost £1,000 per annum



Assumptions:

Example 3: Large business

4-yearTotal

Please complete the form below using BLOCK CAPITALS. When you have completed

the form please return it to:

Date form completed:

4544

Title: Mr Mrs Miss Ms Other

First name:

Surname:

Date of birth: _ _ /_ _/ _ _ _ _ (DD/MM/YYYY)

E-mail address:

Telephone number(s)

Preferred contact method? Telephone Email

Home postcode:

Do you smoke? Yes No

Do you have a driving licence? Yes No

What is your usual form of ID? Driver’s licence

Passport

Company ID card

Other

How did you hear about us?

Section A: Personal Details

Appendix 4:Car share registrationdetails form

Start Point (please give full address if possible)

Via Point (optional)

Destination Point(please give full address if possible)

Are you looking for… A lift by car (tick one option only)

Passenger/s for your car

A lift and/or passengers

Current mode of travel Car (on own)

Car share

Bus

Train

Cycle

Walk

Motorbike

Which days do you travel Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Outward journey start time

Return journey start time (leave blank if a one-way journey)

Comments (Any additional information you would like matches to know)

What is the purpose of your journey? Commuting(tick one option only)

Business trip

Event travel

Leisure

School run

Other

Section B: Please complete Section B to register a Daily or Weekly Journey




Are you looking for… A lift by car (tick one option only) Passenger/s for your car



Car share

Bus

Train

Cycle

Walk

Motorbike

Date and start time of outward journey

Date and start time of return journey



Business trip

Event travel

Leisure

School run

Other

4746

Section C: Please complete Section C to register a One-off Journey




Are you looking for… A lift by car (tick one option only)

Passenger/s for your car



Car share

Bus

Train

Cycle

Walk

Motorbike



Business trip

Event travel

Leisure

School run

Other

Section D: Please complete Section D to register an Occasional Journey

To accept Liftshare’s Terms and Conditions please tick here

Full copies of these Terms and Conditions are available from your administrator. Your details will not be processedunless Terms and Conditions are accepted. Thank you.

48 49

Appendix 5:Troubleshooting manual

The table below provides a troubleshootingmanual and will be a very useful tool forcoordinators and champions. The tableoutlines the most common objections andresistances that people have to car sharingand then offers a number of solutions to helpovercome the initial objection or resistance.

• Provide personal ‘matching session’, undertaken in an informal environment with nopressure to share with any particular user (eg a coffee morning), enabling potentialsharers to get to know each other prior to sharing their journeys together

• Stress that car sharing is not about sharing with strangers – as soon as you meetyour car share partner they become familiar to you

• Employ/use a car share coordinator to offer personal advice, support and assistance,and providing general background to the individuals involved

• Offer ‘one week trial’ car sharing incentives, with no obligation to continue

• Use corporate databases, including staff photographs, to familiarise potentialsharers with the person identified as a suitable match

• Organise car sharing groups, where possible, within team or common areaenvironments

• Use case study examples in marketing material to demonstrate where friendshipshave been established as a result of strangers car sharing

Fear of sharing withstrangers

Individuals don’tbelieve they will finda suitable match

• Use marketing material that demonstrates less obvious sharing partnerships

• Issue maps showing the home postcodes of all staff (anonymously), to demonstratewhere the potential lies

• Encourage users to register with open groups if they cannot find a match within their organisation

• Streamline the registration process so that it is quick and easy to register

The gender of the carsharing partner, inparticular areluctance amongwomen to share with(unknown) men

• Address as part of the registration process by asking about sharing preferences

• Use case studies and photographs of successful single sex car sharing groups inpublicity and marketing material

Personal safety andsecurity issues

• Reassure potential sharers, through publicity material and the schemeadministrator, that all users are members of the closed group, and hence havealready been considered appropriate for employment with the particular site

• Promote the fact that all agreed sharing arrangements are registered and recorded

• Stress the security benefits of having company in the event of an emergency,such as a breakdown

Objection • Include preferences in matching criteria

• Use marketing material and codes of practice to ensure potential sharers areaware that such preferences are an important consideration

• Have trial periods after which sharers can elect to be removed from the scheme,or select alternative partners

Smoking

Concern over safetyof cars parked on astreet, all day, whendriving to meetsharers at a commonlocation

• As a first choice, attempt to find pairings within walking distance, or suggestdriver ‘picks-up’ for on-route matches

• Meet at the home of one of the sharers, and park the additional car(s) on thedrive, or outside the property – which can also add to the perception of securityat the home itself, as it gives potential intruders the impression that it is occupied

Concern over poordriving/speeding

• Offer the flexibility to change partners conveniently, with ‘no questions asked’

• Provide an opportunity to feedback concerns confidentially to the scheme administrator

Concern over beingstranded at work/home/arriving late/leaving meetings early

• Make clear the stated provision of an emergency ride home (free, and easy toadminister for staff)

• Provide a corporate culture that supports car sharing (ie an acceptance that staffwill leave on time to meet car sharing partners)

• Allow flexi-time working, so that car sharers can bank work time if they are keptwaiting for a car sharing partner

• Offer the flexibility to change car sharing partners if the arrangement continues tocause problems in this respect

Misunderstandingsabout car insurance

• Issue standard letters to be sent to insurance companies that they are part of aformal car sharing scheme (a letter can be found in Appendix 6 of this document)

• Reassure staff that they will not have to pay more for insurance, and indeed arelikely to pay less if mileage is reduced

• Ensure the issue of car insurance is covered in marketing material

Objection

51

Needing to haveaccess to the internet

• Invite those without internet access to register through colleagues, or have detailsinput directly by the administrator (from information provided on a paper basedregistration form)

Confidentiality issues • Ask only for mandatory data that adheres strictly to data protection criteria

• Ask for voluntary information, if the user is comfortable, to enhance thematching capability

• Stress the security checks that are done on the system to ensure data is not passedto third parties

Cultural factors –independence, andassociated lack ofconvenience, flexibilityand reliability

• Focus on the personal benefits of car sharing, particularly financial, together withany incentives provided for car sharers

Objection

Appendix 6:Sample letter to insurance company

From:

Date:

To:

Insurance Company/Broker and/or Company Fleet Administration Letter

Policy Number:

Re: Petrol Contributions

I have recently joined a car share scheme (ride share/drive share/carpool). When I give otherLiftshare members a lift I shall be entitled to receive a petrol wear and tear contribution of10p* per mile per passenger. The rate is suggested by Liftshare.com and will change from timeto time in line with motoring costs and general inflation.

A statement by the Association of British Insurers on this matter is on page two. If thiscontravenes any clause in my insurance policy then please would you advise me as soon aspossible. Please contact Liftshare.com for further details about their national Liftsharing scheme.

With Kindest Regards

Signed:

Concerns over thetaste of music playedor radio choice

• Offer week trials/cooling off periods to test compatibility

• Offer free text input for general comments in the registration process that enablessharers to inform partners about their music preferences

• Ensure a flexible approach to sharing that enables users to change partners easily

Uncertainty oversharing payment oftravel costs

• Address through the publication of general guidance stating that the financial costsof running the vehicle should be divided between sharers, but that no financial gaincan be made; or stating typical mileage payments for sharers, depending uponvehicle size, mileage and number of sharers. As a general rule, payments should bewithin the range 5-15 pence per mile (shared across all sharers of a vehicle)

50

* Suggested mileage rate is based on latest guidance at the time of writing.Contact your local tax office for more advice.

Motor Conference Undertaking

Acknowledgements

The receipt of contributions as part of a car sharing arrangement for social or other similarpurposes in respect of the carriage of passengers on a journey in a vehicle insured under aprivate car policy will not be regarded as constituting the carriage of passengers for hire orreward (or the use of the vehicle for hiring) provided that:

1. The vehicle is not constructed or adapted to carry more than eight passengers excludingthe driver

2. The passengers are not being carried in the course of a business carrying passengers (such as ataxi or private hire minicab service)

3. The total contributions received for the journey concerned do not involve an element of profit

Note. If in any doubt whether a car sharing scheme arrangement is covered by the terms of aprivate car policy, the policyholders concerned should make an inquiry to their motor insurers.Motor Conference is the Standing Joint Committee of the Association of British Insurers andLloyds Motor Underwriters' Association.

(Supplied by the Association of British Insurers June 1998)

This good practice guide was written by:

Lynsey Harris & Jon ParkerIntegrated Transport Planning Ltd50 North Thirteenth StreetCentral Milton KeynesMK9 3BP

Tel: 01908 259718Email: [email protected]

Thanks also go to Ali Clabburn fromLiftshare, and Conrad Haigh and CharlesTucker from TfL.

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