Cash incentives to car share (From Salisbury Journal)
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Cash incentives to car share
1:50pm Thursday 14th February 2013 in News By Jill Harding
COMMUTERS who sign up to a car share scheme are being offered financial incentives.
The scheme is part of a drive to reduce congestion on routes into the city which are the scene of frequent tailbacks.
The Salisbury Traffic Management Organisation (SALTMO) has secured European Commission funding to offer £1 for each logged car share journey – up to the value of £100 over 90 days.
Motorists who regularly travel into or through Salisbury can go online and offer to be a car driver or browse car share offers posted by others.
They can state their travel times, routes and even musical tastes to find a suitable match.
Once the car sharing arrangement begins, participants can log their journeys to get their cash rewards, and also enter competitions with prizes including a month’s worth of free fuel.
“Saving money, meeting new people and helping the environment are all motivating factors to car pool, but offering the chance to be rewarded is a very powerful incentive to get involved,” said SALTMO project manager Tom Murray-Willis.
“This represents an important evolution from the current system of car sharing where members are rewarded through a monthly prize draw. With longer timeframes and a more targeted focus we hope to encourage lasting, sustainable habits among our users.”
The European Commission is funding projects that promote more sustainable urban mobility with grants of up to 7,000 euros.
So far SALTMO has concentrated its efforts on the congested Southampton Road, but hopes the new funding will enable it to expand to other parts of the city.
Existing SALTMO schemes include free travel to Southampton Road from the city centre on the 505 bus service, initiatives to encourage cycling along the A36, including free bike bells, and moves to encourage staff at out-of-town stores to find more environmentally friends ways to travel to work.
To find out more visit salisburycarshare.com or saltmo.org.
