Drivers could save themselves over £97 a month by simply starting to lift share with a colleague and splitting the cost of fuel, new data has found.

With household energy bills expected to be £190 more a month than last year in October, drivers are being urged to review their travel costs.

Ofgem recently reported that domestic electricity and gas prices – for a ‘typical’ household – rose from an annual average of £1,042 in October 2020 to £1,971 in April 2022. Annual prices are now capped by the government at £2,500 a year from 1st October, in an effort to limit soaring energy costs. Without taking into account October’s pay cap, energy bills have already increased 89% since 2020. At the same time, the average cost of filling up a car has increased by 35%

Despite the surge in bills, Liftshare Group’s Commuter Census found that a fifth of workers still commute to work five times a week, travelling an average of 17.5 miles each way. This is costing solo drivers around £51 a week in petrol or diesel. But, by splitting the cost of their journey with another driver, or with someone in their household, commuters could save up to £97 a month on their fuel bills. This £1,167 yearly saving is almost the same as receiving a 4% pay rise based on the UK’s average salary of £29K which equates to £1,167.

Liftshare.com helps match like-minded drivers and passengers heading for the same destination. Sharing fuel costs can help the UK’s lowest-paid workers through the tightening cost of living squeeze.

Ali Clabburn, founder of Liftshare Group, which has now saved its 670,000 members £6 Million on their fuel costs, said:

“Sharing the commute is one of the simplest and best ways to save a lot of money. First and foremost, car sharing alleviates the financial burden imposed by the rise in living costs crisis. Travel costs aren’t only comprised of fuel but also potentially toll and parking fees. These costs can add up, especially if you’re making the same journey every day.

With National Liftshare Week coming up, an initiative to help those who can’t walk or bike to work keep the costs of their travel down, people could save at least 50% on their weekly fuel costs. We are urging people to evaluate their outgoings so that they can make simple savings during one of the toughest financial crises. Now is the perfect time to explore your options and sign up to liftshare.com during Liftshare Week to start making immediate and valuable savings”.

Lift sharing even makes financial sense for those workers only in the office 1 or 2 days a week. Recent reports found that the UK’s office workers only spend an average of 1.5 days in the office each week. Yet, that still adds up to around £565 on fuel a year, compared to £284 if you car share with another motorist.

Daniel McDermott and Tom Scott, Service Technicians at Heathrow Airport have been sharing the journey to work together for a number of

years, each saving £140 a month in travel costs.

Daniel McDermott, said:

“I would always recommend car sharing. It’s a no-brainer when you can save that amount of money! And, it’s great to have someone to chat with.

Sharing a lift has made travelling to work considerably more affordable and convenient. Having someone to speak to throughout also makes the journey go quicker”.

The financial impact the pair have saved collectively is huge, adding up to about £ 3,500 every year. The implications for the environment are even bigger. Daniel and Tom save an average of 3 tonnes of CO2e every year, that’s the equivalent of a return flight from London to Perth, Australia!

For more information on how much you could save on your commute to work, visit Liftshare.com’s Saving Calculator here: https://liftshare.com/uk/savings-calculator