Tesco launches car-sharing trial

Greenwise Staff

12th July 2010

Tesco has launched a car-sharing trial at some of its stores in an effort to improve the carbon footprint of its shoppers.

Tesco has teamed up with Carbon Voyage to connect customers with other shoppers and local minicab firms to enable share rides to and from supermarkets. The service is being trialled at three North London Tesco Extra stores.

Tesco Clubcard customers can sign up to the new service online and then book journeys online, over the phone or by text message. They will be matched with other shoppers and picked up by local minicab firms that already work with the three stores. The service will show customers the amount of CO2 saved per journey and will also provide incentives.

According to Carbon Voyage, which provides access to car-sharing through minicabs with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions, the carbon impact of a voyage can be halved and travel costs cut by around 30 per cent per individual user through using a Carbon Voyage scheme.

Mike Yorwerth, Group Technology and Architecture director, said: "The benefits for Tesco shoppers extend beyond money saved, eco-friendly prizes and Green Clubcard point rewards to the satisfaction of making a contribution to a greener world."

Sustainable Consumption Institute

Tesco is carrying out the trial through the University of Manchester's Sustainable Consumption Institute (CSI), which the retailer established in 2007 with £25 million of backing over five years. The team at CSI will aim to find ways to make ride-sharing a more attractive service for ordinary shoppers through the use of modern technology and assess the extent to which customers will change their behaviour to help the environment.

"Any opportunities to understand how we can get people to share vehicles can have a tremendous impact on reducing emissions, congestion and costs at the same time," said James Swanston of Carbon Voyage.

Like this story? Please subscribe to our free weekly e-newsletter at the top of the page for more stories like this