goCarShare is a new liftshare website that is built around Facebook and is encouraging festival goers to meet new people, save money and help lower the festival industry’s carbon footprint. Over 30 top festivals have already signed up to the scheme and are even offering incentives for people who sign up – including the chance for VIP upgrades to Sonisphere, Wakestock, Reading, Leeds and Lattitude.
There are 38 million empty car seats travelling around Britain every single day – many people would take the view this is an absurd situation given the problems that we are incurring with congestion, pollution and dealing with the biggest economic downturn in living memory. Founder of goCarShare Drummond Gilbert insists – ‘it’s time to do something about it.’
The great thing is the service is absolutely FREE with sharers contributing to the overall cost of the journey through a recommended goCarShare tariff. During the current economic climate where festivals remain a ‘necessary luxury’ it makes perfect sense for the perennial or indeed first time festivalgoer to save money by sharing lifts and of course bypass the often tedious and stressful experience of waiting for unreliable transport in Armageddon size queues!
There is an easy to use interface and the site is built around Facebook so ‘goCarSharers’ can screen who they pair up with using information pulled through from Facebook and find people who are friends of friends and have similar musical tastes. There is also an eBay style rating system to help weed out any bad drivers or unreliable passengers. The soon to be released goCarShare iPhone App will take the experience to the next level by connecting users who are ‘on the ground’ and alerting them of car share opportunities in real time.
The approach that goCarShare is taking offers the opportunity for people, summer festivals and various high profile events, to do their bit for the environment. From the festival’s point of view goCarShare helps with parking and congestion issues as well as lowering their carbon footprint. It is for this reason that festivals are jumping at the chance to get involved and are offering incentives to use the scheme.
Sonisphere, Wakestock, Reading Festival, Leeds Festival and Latitude are offering people who car share to festivals the chance to win a VIP upgrade to this year’s events. This includes access to the VIP camping, hot showers, prestine toilets, VIP Bar and Cafe. Sharers who sign up to the scheme no later than one week before the events will be sent a goCarShare bumper sticker to put on their car and one car will be selected at random on the gates whereby all of the occupents of the car will be upgraded to VIP tickets.
The Secret Garden Party has commissioned a giant map on site which people can request rides on at the festival. SGP are also introducing an empty car seat tax of £2.50 per seat.
Over 30 top festivals have signed up including: Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Latitude, Sonisphere, Wakestock, The Big Chill, Rockness, The Secret Garden Party, Edinburgh Fringe, Hay Festival, Relentless Boardmasters, Lounge on the Farm, Glade and Truck.
www.gocarshare.com
