Londoners are getting smart when it comes to reducing their transport footprint. There are travel and taxi apps now which let you book a ride with a ‘split fare’, or coordinate matching up of lifts between drivers and passengers going on a similar route. Why ride sharing works particularly well across UK towns and cities:
- Flexible access: Ride sharing helps avoid long-term commitment, insurance, or maintenance hassles.
- Climate gain: Transport makes up about 27% of total UK emissions. Ride sharing reduces total mileage and fuel use per person, rendering it eco-friendly.
- Space saver: Fewer cars parked means more area for bike lanes, green verges, and pedestrian zones, all better uses of public spaces.
- Budgetary win: Sharing is ideal for those in cities where car ownership costs average £3,000+ a year.
For short trips, try Liftshare London or BlaBlaCar to carpool with others heading your way. Uber X Share does too, but not in London. For longer hauls, hop on community EV car shares like those in Oxford, Bristol, and Edinburgh.
Increasing the number of passengers in each car by 1% can save 2.5 billion car miles and ~0.75 Mt CO₂ annually in the UK. This small behavioural change might just put us on a faster route to emission reduction, cash savings, and lower congestion.
More on Ride Sharing
- 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ avoided – BlaBlaCar publishes its 2024 Sustainability Report – BlaBlaCar
- 5 Tips for Effective Lift-Sharing in London – Broke in London
- [Withdrawn] Lift sharing: local authority toolkit – GOV.UK
