Staff and students prepare to share under new travel schemes

Posted 25 November 2008

On December 1, Harper Adams will launch two new car sharing schemes to help staff and students reduce pollution and congestion on journeys to and from the University College.

The staff scheme, journeyshare, is operated by Telford and Wrekin Council, which enables people to match car journeys across the borough.  By joining the car sharing scheme, they can reduce the number of single occupancy car journeys, helping to make travel safer, greener and cheaper.

Workers registering for the scheme are asked some simple questions about preferred journey times, days and locations, and can even choose to travel with the same gender, a smoker or non-smoker.  These details are then matched to other members of journeyshare from their area or workplace.

The benefits car sharing can provide:
• dedicated car parking spaces on the main staff car park – available on a first-come-first-served basis
• reduced travel and servicing costs
• companionship 
• reduced congestion
• reduce pressure on car parking spaces
• reduction in noise and air pollution
• enjoy a less stressful journey to and from work

The student scheme, studentshare, is an adaptation of journeyshare with a same aim to get students to car share through informal introduction at a pick-up point located on campus. 

Any student wanting a lift can wait at the designated pick up point until someone passing and willing to give them a lift stops. The students (if they do not already know each other) exchange ID cards to prove they are students at Harper Adams before reaching any sharing agreement and setting off on their shared journey.