Mobilityways releases carpooling white paper following IEA backing

Following the International Energy Agency’s call for governments and businesses to encourage carpooling, Mobilityways have put together resources for individuals, employers and policymakers, including a Whitepaper.

The Whitepaper features critical information for decision makers at government and local/combined authorities to fully harness the power of carpooling as a legitimate tool for cutting fuel consumption and transport emissions.

Key pillars include what has held the UK back from carpooling, how France has demonstrated it is possible, what the data tells us about latent demand, and the immediate opportunity for more carpooling in response to the current crisis.

The IEA, which counts the UK among its 32 member nations, outlined ten measures on March 20 to reduce energy consumption worldwide in response to the ongoing conflict in the Gulf. Car sharing and efficient driving featured prominently. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told the BBC the world faces "the greatest global energy security threat in history".

Mobilityways says the numbers for carpooling make the case plainly. UK cars currently average just 1.55 passengers per journey. Raising that to 1.8 would reduce fuel consumption by approximately 14%, saving around 4 billion litres annually. 

That is not a distant ambition: France already achieves 1.7 to 1.8 average occupancy through systematic carpooling support, and during the 1970s oil crisis, UK car traffic fell around 5% through largely informal arrangements with no digital tools at all.

Today, the UK has Liftshare.com: founded in 1998 as the world's first digital carpooling platform, with over 700,000 registered members. The infrastructure is already here.

Ali Clabburn, Chairman of Mobilityways and founder of Liftshare, said:

"We now have 700,000 people already on Liftshare.com and a platform that can scale within weeks. The IEA is telling the world to carpool. The UK can lead on this because we already have everything we need."

Julie Furnell, Managing Director of Mobilityways, said:"Every empty seat on the commute is wasted fuel. Large employers need to consider how they can support their teams with the rising fuel costs. With a carpool community your employees save money, you reduce your Scope 3 emissions, and you are doing something real in response to a genuine energy challenge. We are ready to help any organisation get started."

Mobilityways works with large employers across the UK, including the Heathrow Airport, Lloyds Banking Group and more than 30 NHS Trusts, to measure, reduce and report commuter emissions through its enterprise platform, Liftshare For Work.

Read Mobilityways’ new whitepaper at petrolprice.co.uk.

For media inquiries, please contact: 

About Mobilityways 

Mobilityways is a social enterprise and technology company on a mission to make zero carbon commuting a reality. Founded as Liftshare in 1998, Mobilityways was launched in 2021 to support employers meet their net-zero goals with its suite of climate tech tools. These tools enable companies to measure, reduce and report their commuter emissions, providing full visibility of commuting challenges and identifying sustainable travel alternatives for employees.