Passengers who travel to Tring station by car are being invited to save cash – and the environment – through a pilot lift sharing scheme from London Northwestern Railway.
The scheme uses a bespoke website – wmtrains.liftshare.com – to connect train users with other people who drive similar routes to the station. Users can then come to a private arrangement to split the cost of petrol and parking at times to suit their own circumstances.
It will also offer the opportunity to connect people who may be interested in regular communal travel or shared taxi arrangements.
Jon Harris, integration, accessibility and development manager at London Northwestern Railway, said:
“We know the experience of travelling by train does not start and end at the station and that is why we are working hard to improve the ‘Last Mile’ for our customers.
“Over a third of people who completed a recent travel survey at Tring expressed an interest in joining a car-sharing scheme. The support from the town and parish councils, as well as the local authorities, has been fantastic and already the scheme is being promoted at a grass roots level.
“By sharing transport to the station passengers at Tring can save a significant amount of money, reduce their carbon footprint as well as meeting new people.”
The scheme is being introduced at Tring while ongoing accessibility improvement works are carried out by Network Rail, leading to a temporary reduction in car parking capacity.
Users are encouraged to contact each other through the secure messaging facility on the Liftshare website ahead of setting up their potential car share arrangements.
The Tring pilot is the first car sharing scheme for West Midlands Trains, which operates both London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services.
It is expected more station car share arrangements will launch across the network in the next 12 months as part of the rail operator’s commitment to Station Travel Plans and promoting sustainable travel.
Car share schemes will target stations with larger car parks or where local circumstances such as building works may temporarily limit the amount of car parking available.
