Dorset Car Sharing

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Charlotte's home is opposite a garage, and she could see the petrol prices going up almost on a daily basis.

Her job is with Dorset County Council in Dorchester, and it, along with Bournemouth and Poole Borough authorities, have helped create a new car share scheme for the county, which is backed up by a specialist car sharing company called Liftshare.

Members are increasing.She signed up to the Car Share Dorset website, and in our county alone there are 2,000-plus members looking to car share.Charlotte now picks up a colleague in Poundbury, and shares her journey to work - and the cost.

Nationwide, too, the idea of car sharing is growing in popularity as the credit crunch bites and more people realise its benefits.

Cecilia Bromley-Martin from Liftshare says: "The average commuter sharing their journey with one other person can save up to £1,000 a year, and the more people you have the more money you could save."

Car Share Dorset, which is free to join, say their aim is to promote all forms of transport and combine both public and private transport, maximising people's travel options while reducing the number of cars on the roads, which in turn can help to cut pollution.