Car share plan is now on the road to success

Residents in Wycombe are part of a pilot project urging drivers to complete their journeys in pairs in a bid to reduce congestion, pollution and costs.

Already 1,400 people have signed up to Bucks Car Share, a county-wide initiative which sees users join up online for free and then pick a person who is doing the same journey at the same time.

Registered members can choose how often they use the scheme and who will be their travel-buddy.

This week the Government's key transport advisor, The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT), released a report on climate change which recommended improved access to car-sharing schemes.

The report, Transport and Climate Change, recommends practical and cost-effective measures that can reduce carbon emissions from UK transport by 71 per cent by 2020.

More than 200 Wycombe drivers have signed up for the scheme since August 20 when Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) leafleted 40,000 homes in the district.

Rosemary Bryant, transport promotions advisor for BCC, said: "Bucks Car Share is an initiative to find someone else making the same journey at the same time with the benefit of saving money and reducing congestion. The car share scheme is not just for the regular commute to work, but also for longer one-off journeys.

"Several hundred new people have joined the scheme since the Wycombe promotion and the more people who sign up the more people likely to be doing the same journeys.

"We will be having a look over the next month to see if the scheme has been successful. Trying to reduce the amount of cars on the roads would be ideal. If the trial in Wycombe is successful we will roll out the promotion across the county."

The CfIT's report recommendations also include reducing the carbon output of new cars to 100g/km by 2020, promoting eco-driving' which includes stricter adherence to speed limits and limiting air conditioning, and increased use of public transport, cycling and walking.