Liftshare Happiness

03 Jun 2003

So, you've got the ticket, the big day is looming . . . and now you’re planning how to get to the festival of your dreams.

You could plane it, train it, bus it, drive it if you must – or you could opt for the really cool way of getting here: liftshare

What started out six years ago as a bright idea to help students get to and from university has blossomed into one of the most innovative and truly sensible transport ideas of all time. And Glastonbury was the first major event to see its potential and help get it more widely known.

The man behind liftshare is Ali Clabburn. "We started getting involved with Glastonbury in 2000 and during that festival we arranged for 400 people to share cars. This year we're expecting that figure to be between 2,000 and 3,000," he said.

And the beauty of the scheme is its simplicity. All you have to do is click on the Travel button on this website, link to Liftshare and log on your details. Ali and his eight helpers will do the rest, matching your needs to those of others.

You'll save money, help the environment by saving fuel and easing road congestion – and the bonus is that, like the rest of the Glastonbury experience, you'll be meeting new people and sharing the thrill of it all.

It is estimated that liftshare eliminated 15,000 car journeys last year and in the process helped a lot of people make new friends.

Ali's idea has been taken up right across the country by schools, councils, big companies and major events and there are now 38,000 registered members.
"We are expanding all the time and now have about 50 per cent of the UK covered. The feedback we get from people who use the scheme is fantastic and I'm now getting interest from the U.S. and Australia from people who want to set up something similar over there," he said.

You can find out more about liftshare at the festival by meeting up with the team at the main information point.

Note: National Liftshare Day is June 14. You can register your journey, save money – and help raise cash for the National Asthma Campaign.

Words: Chris Binding

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