Car share website launched

Department for Regional Development (DRD) has today launched a website to allow potential car sharers to find travel partners in a bid to reduce commuter traffic on Northern Ireland's roads.

The website has been developed as part of the DRD's Travelwise NI campaign, and will enable individuals to log on and register free of charge to find car share partners.

It is understood that once travel details are entered into the database, the computer will match up people with similar travel patterns and email addresses can be exchanged.

Once potential car sharers have been identified it's left up to them to make contact with each other and sort out travel arrangements.

Launching the website, Head of Travelwise NI, Brian Moreland, said: "The need to reduce the volume of traffic on our roads is recognised by everyone who commutes to and from work every day. By car sharing, commuters can help to cut traffic levels and save money by sharing their travel costs. Being able to find a suitable car-share partner is the key to getting started and we believe that this new website will make it easier for commuters from across Northern Ireland to find their perfect match."

Mr Moreland continued: "We are also promoting the website to employers to encourage them to establish their own private car-share group for use by their employees only. This option enables the staff of a particular company or organisation to register to car-share with colleagues only and could, in the longer term, result in the employer being able to reduce the number of car parking spaces needed to accommodate staff."

The Travelwise NI Car Share website has already been trialled across the Northern Ireland Civil Service since June 2005 and already over 1000 Civil Servants have registered to car share through the site.

The Travelwise NI Car Share website is a campaign set up to promote the benefits of walking, cycling, using public transport and car sharing to commuters, employers and schools in Northern Ireland.

For more information on how to register, commuters should visit www.travelwisenicarshare.com or contact the Travelwise NI team on 0845 378 0908.

(EF/SP)