Reducing emissions waste with BlablaCar
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Last week I spread the wings of My Zero Waste a little by talking about solar panels. While not exactly zero waste to landfill material, by taking in the ‘bigger picture’ we can reduce unnecessary waste in other areas of our lives too.
One of my ‘green sins’ is our car. Our beloved Gus is a 4×4 and while it’s a working vehicle – and the only one we have – there are times when something smaller and more environmentally friendly would rest easier on my conscience.
We can’t afford to run two cars (and neither can we justify it because only Mr Green drives) but this week I think I’ve found a solution:
Meet BlablaCar!
Isn’t that a great name!?
BlablaCar is the simple yet profound concept of connecting people. And my goodness our remote ‘I’ve got six million friends on Facebook’ communities in the Land of Blighty could do with more connecting.
The idea is that say you regularly visit your family on weekends and you travel alone; you simply post your trip on www.blablacar.com and set your price per seat.
People without transport log onto the site, check out who is travelling in their direction and book a seat. After the trip, the passenger rates the driver which helps build trust and reputation.
As BlablaCar reminds us; driving alone in your car is expensive, not good for the environment and it’s rather boring. If you sign up as a driver you get someone to natter to, it’s better for the environment and you get paid for sharing your car.
It’s win-win – the driver gets money towards the running costs and the passengers get greatly reduced travel costs compared to say taking a train or coach. All the while you save money, Mother Nature is breathing a big sigh of relief.
I’d not heard of BlablaCar before but apparently they’ve been around in Europe for a few years with over 1.5 million members sharing more than six million trips per year.
You’d have to be living under a stone not to have noticed the ever-increasing petrol prices. They’ve escalated by 41% in four years which means we’re all feeling the pinch.
BlablaCar reckon drivers could earn as much as £2,200 per annum by sharing just 150 miles of travel per week and of course passengers can get transport at greatly reduced costs.
For example one driver I saw is going from Bristol to Exeter and charging £5 per passenger. If I wanted to take a coach it would cost around £15. If I wanted to take the train it would cost £23 – £42. I think I know which I would prefer!
BlablaCar tell us their drivers have saved over £100m since January 2009 and stopped 200,000 tons of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere.
If that’s not enough to get you carpooling, one lucky driver could earn £500. BlablaCar have a ‘mystery passenger’ that might just sign hitch a lift if you’re making any London to North West journey . If they like you, you’ll be a winner! For more information on this or to take advantage of this opportunity, visit www.blablacar.com/london2NW.
I think car sharing is a brilliant idea, especially for people doing the daily commute or students. What about you – have you ever used a carpooling service?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTn-ev4fjsM
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I love this!! I will be signing up straight away and sharing the idea around my town!
As a young person, driving is out of my reach, so I drive a moped. But there are times, when going out for the night or when needing to look smart, that pulling up on a moped complete with jeans and Doc Martens may not give the best impression!
Also, when travelling with friends it could be quite handy! Definately a winner!
I think car sharing is the way forward… To many times I have been walking somewhere, getting frustrated at the sight of empty seats in the cars driving by. People are too nervous now to just pick up someone walking a fair way, but a structured system where a record of the persons details and the meeting exists makes car sharing much safer!
@Michelle Morgan @ Eco-Centricity: Glad you like it; I thin it’s a shame hitch hiking is perceived to be so risky now as I think it’s a lovely way to travel! But you’re right blablacar gives that added security which is a good thing