Share the journey, share the costs

South Africans have long been faced with a limited choice of mode for their daily commute. For most, the options remain the private car, crowded taxis, or less than reliable and user friendly public transport. Liftshare South Africa seeks to change that.

Liftshare South Africa is a free-to-join, mission-driven social enterprise, which aims to make a difference in the way South Africans travel and interact with each other.

Liftshare’s main goal is to help people to travel more sustainably by sharing their car journey. Via our online network, we match people with similar journeys, enabling them to save money, reduce their carbon footprint, make the world a better place, and have fun whilst doing it.

liftshare South Africa is affiliated with liftshare.com, the world’s largest liftsharing network with almost 600,000 members. liftshare South Africa is therefore able to rely on a tried and tested system, which makes registering, and searching for journey matches easy and safe.

The benefits of liftsharing include:

• Saves money: Like most household expenses, the price of motoring has continued to rise over recent years. In 2013 alone the price of petrol increased by 81c a litre in March, in addition to an increase of 41c a litre on February 6. Car maintenance bills continue to rise, and with the ongoing matter of the introduction of e-tolls, its never been more expense to drive;
• Reduces pollution from car emissions: It is estimated that liftshare members will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 115,000 tonnes (or 62,761 hot-air balloons) in 2013 alone;
• Liftsharing gives you company on your trip: Sharing your journey allows you to make new friends and meet you neighbours;
• It can reduce local traffic congestion: Imagine if more people shared their trips. It would lead to a reduction in single occupancy vehicle trips, and less of those, means less cars on the road overall. In fact, it is estimated that liftshare members will save in the region of 552 million kilometres or 13,780 trips around the earth in 2013 – that is a lot less cars on the road!;
• It can save you time: Sharing a trip can give you time on your journey to prepare for a meeting, or get some work done (if you are the passenger of course);
• It can be safer: Having someone with you who you can trust is safer than travelling alone, especially in a breakdown or emergency situation.

The safety of liftshare’s members is one of our main priorities. As such, we have a section on our website which provides safety tips, these include the following:

• Avoid exchanging home addresses with your travelling companion before you meet them.
• Arrange to meet in a public place.
• Inform a friend or family member of who you will be travelling with, when and to where.
• Make sure you show each other your I.D.s - passports, student cards or driving licences - so you know you’re travelling with the right person.
• You are under no obligation to travel together. If you have any doubts about your travelling companion, for any reason, you should avoid travelling with them.

liftshare South Africa is operated by Patrick Hebbard and Thozamile Javu who are passionate about improving social and environmental conditions in South Africa. Patrick and Thozamile bring a South African approach and level of enthusiasm to liftshare South Africa. The partners aim to make liftshare South Africa a household name, and liftsharing a way of life for as many South Africans as possible.