A NEW car sharing scheme has launched to help employees and business occupiers at Silverstone Park to reduce fuel costs and emissions.
Using the Kinto Join app, commuters can find their ideal ‘travel buddies’ based on location and working hours. Users are opting in either as the driver – using their own vehicle – or as a passenger.
The app records individual journeys that, over time, help to build a bigger picture of people’s travel movements, thereby increasing the pool of people for journey sharing.
Ruth Williams, asset manager at Silverstone Park’s operator MEPC, said: “With the cost of living crisis and fuel prices also high, people are rightly concerned about the effects that travelling to and from the workplace is having on their personal finances. A car sharing scheme provides a much more contemporary method of travel for people and helps address those concerns.”
Such a scheme also adds to the sustainability credentials of businesses taking it up, she added.
“We are really excited to see what patterns emerge across the surrounding districts and counties that Silverstone Park employees commute from and to during the working week.”
Veronica Reynolds, travel advisor for Silverstone Park, said: “Research by Silverstone Park of other workplaces where employees are car sharing shows positive feedback and that users have begun to see the benefits, particularly in terms of money saved.
“With working patterns having changed since the pandemic, we know that many people arrive and leave work at different times of day which is why we have gone for the Kinto Join app. It has flexibility built into it, which means users can choose to share with different people at different times of day on different days of the week.”
The ap is similar to the Strava app popular with runners and walkers, she added. “The research shows that people are finding the shared journeys into work fun. New friendships are being built and, at the same time, there is a shared sense of purpose in terms of contributing to lowering emissions.”
The car sharing scheme took effect early last month.
