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Warwickshire County Council Staff Only
If your question is not listed here, please contact the CarShare Administrator by e-mail or call 01926 412105. |
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| Q. What is car sharing? |
| A. It is when two or more people decide to travel to work together in one car rather than separately. Car sharing does not exclude people who would normally travel as a passenger on other transport, but is really aimed at getting vehicles off the roads by increasing vehicle occupancy. |
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| Q. How does car sharing work? |
A. Once you have completed the registration form the details will be entered into the database. The CarShare system will then produce a list of suitable sharers; people to pick up on the way or who live near you and who meet the criteria you have requested. From this list it is then up to *you* to contact each other and formulate a car share agreement that is convenient to you all.
You do not have to over commit yourself at this stage. One option is to set a trial period and a date to review the feelings of all parties. This will enable you to stop sharing at this point if the arrangement doesn't suit any or some of the parties involved. |
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| Q. Why should I consider car sharing? |
A. Below are some of the many reasons:
- Reduce congestion and save valuable time at the beginning and end of the day
- Reduce fuel costs by sharing the day-to-day expenses
- Reduce the mileage and everyday wear and tear on your vehicle
- Reduce traffic pollution and help contain the increasing pressure on the local community and environment
- Enjoy a more sociable and less stressful way of travelling
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| Q. Why do I need to register? |
| A. You need an id and password to protect your personal details. The registration process is for your personal protection and is designed to ensure that only people who are known to approved organisations can participate. |
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| Q. How do I leave CarShare? |
| A. Click on the resign button and an email will be sent to you to confirm that you wish to resign. Once you leave all your details will be removed from the CarShare database. If you want to reinstate your membership you will need to register again. |
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| Q. How does the search for a match work? |
A. The search will be carried out within 5 miles of +/- 30 minutes margin of arrival and departure times and radius from origin. However, the search criteria can be altered to suit your preferences.
- View the matches live on screen - you are the green car and other members are red cars
- Further details are listed in a table below the map with a link to contact details
- Look again at the matches within a larger or smaller radius, en route or with different margins of arrival and departure times
- Pan around the map and zoom in through 5 layers
- Mapping covers the whole region
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| Q. What about sharing costs? |
A. There are various ways in which this can be done. If you find a method which works particularly well for your team please email the car share scheme administrator with details. Any other methods which are considered appropriate can then be added to the list of suggestions.
- On a reciprocal basis, where you drive one week and the next week your car share partner drives
- If there is only one driver then he/she may charge their passengers for the journey: Warwickshire County Council currently recommends that for journeys under 20 miles you charge 10p per mile and for journeys over 20 miles, 7p per mile.
Please note that drivers should not make a profit from car sharing as this can invalidate their insurance. |
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| Q. What about insurance? |
A. You must be fully insured and it is advisable to inform your insurance company that you are registered in the car share scheme. This should not incur additional costs. Most insurance policies cover you to carry passengers on your journey to work, as long as you don't charge your passengers more than the running costs of the vehicle.
Click HERE for a sample letter which you could use if you wish to contact your insurance company and to see a statement from The Association of British Insurers.
If you experience difficulty opening the sample letter, please contact the CarShare Administrator by e-mail or calling 01926 412105. |
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| Q. Do I have to share everyday? |
| A. No - the registration form will include a section that enables you to choose the days that you want to share. |
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| Q. What if I am a car sharer and have to leave work suddenly? |
A. Check with your employer to see if they operate an emergency ride home scheme.
If you are a WCC employee, then to claim your emergency ride home all you need to do is take a taxi, pay the fare, get a receipt and ask you manager to sign it as proof that an emergency ride home was necessary. Send the receipt to the CarShare Administrator who will reimburse the full amount to you. For more information call the CarShare Administrator on 01926 412105. |
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| Q. What happens if I am the driver and am sick? |
| A. You must contact your car share partner(s) as soon as possible so that they can make alternative arrangements. As a passenger it is also essential for you to let the driver know you are ill so that they know not to wait if you are not at your pick up point. |
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| Q. I work shifts. Can I still share? |
| A. YES. Car sharing is flexible. If you work irregular hours, we will put you in touch with employees who work similar hours to you. |
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| Q. I only have use of the car occasionally. Can I still share? |
| A. Yes, the system will match you on appropriate days. |
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| Q. I can't car share on a regular basis - can I still car share? |
| A. Yes! Although you need to specify days and times when you are most likely to be available to car share, you can use the comments box when you are selecting your preferences to establish any issues you have that may affect your car sharing arrangement, e.g. sometimes I need my car for business and will not be able to share everyday. These comments are visible to others looking for a match. |
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| Q. I don't have a car - does this mean I can't participate? |
A. Not at all! All you have to do when you state your preferences is select the box that says: I am only seeking lifts as a passenger in someone else's car.
It is worth remembering that WCC do recommend that members of staff receiving a lift only offer to pay the driver 10p per mile, but this is between you and the person offering you a lift to decide. |
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| Q. How safe is CarShare? |
A. The safety of our members is a priority. We have made our web-site as secure as we can. All members' details are stored securely in the database and only the members' intended travel information can be accessed on-line.
However, when it comes to travelling, every member is responsible for his or her own safety. We do recommend that members' follow some simple security measures outlined below:
- Avoid exchanging home addresses with your travelling companion before you meet them.
- Arrange to meet in a public place.
- Inform a friend or family member of who you will be travelling with, when and to where.
- Make sure you show each other your I.D.s - work ID, passports or driving licences - so you know you're travelling with the right person.
- You are under no obligation to go ahead with any CarShare. If you have any doubts about your travelling companion, for any reason, you should avoid travelling with them.
- If you have any problems please call us immediately on 01926 412105 and we will endeavour help in any way that we can.
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| Q. I already have a car share partner and do not wish to be contacted by other matches, how can I stop receiving requests? |
| A. All you need to do is set up a group containing you and your car share partner/s. To set up a group, click on Groups, then enter the username (their me@wcc id) of someone with whom you are sharing, and click "new group". This will then stop you receiving requests from others looking to car share. |
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| Q. Can I see what car sharers are available without going through the registration process? |
| A. As it is a secure site, we cannot show other members journeys to browsers. In order to see what matches are available, you will need to register. |
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| Q. I already car share with a non WCC employee, am I entitled to CarShare benefits? |
A. You can take advantage of the car share parking spaces available in Warwick Town Centre, but if you want to take advantage of the offers from County Fleet Maintenance and be in the prize draw, then you need to register. However, if you don't want to be receiving requests for lifts, then you can register your details and your car share partner can register hers or his, and you can set up a group so that you will not be linked to any other car sharers.
All you need to do to set up a group is click on Groups, then enter the username (their me@wcc id) of someone with whom you are sharing, and click "new group". This will then stop you receiving requests from others looking to car share. |
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| Q. I already car share with a WCC employee and do not wish to register, but am I entitled to CarShare benefits? |
| A. All those that car share will reap the benefits of lower petrol costs, but unless you register your journey on the car share system and are open to potentially sharing it, even if just once a week, with a member of WCC staff, then you will not be entitled to the County Fleet Maintenance benefits or the car share parking spaces available in Warwick Town Centre. The incentives have been worked up to get people to register on the system, as the system will only work well when we have enough members in it. Furthermore, the car share administrator must provide County Fleet Maintenance with a list of members to avoid abuse of their offers, and this can only be done if people are registered on the system. |
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| Q. I am a WCC essential car user - can I still car share? |
A. It is true that the essential car user status means that you are supposed to have your car available for business use. However, there are many essential car users who car share (or who get the train/ cycle/ walk in to work) and only bring their car in on the days when they know they will need the car.
You can join up to the scheme and if you need your car on any particular day or you're unsure whether you'll need it, then you be the one that drives in. Your car share partner can always use the emergency ride home scheme if there is a problem. Alternatively, you could just arrange to car share on days when you know you won't need the car. |
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