The Future of Social Transport: ‘a good idea, but…’

The current emphasis on congestion, pollution, quality of the transport experience and the spiralling costs of energy has led to a growth of interest in social transport, such as those offered by car and lift share schemes. Together with greener fuel and the use of technology, it is possible to widen the transport choices available to consumers. However, there has been a reported reluctance on the part of users in the UK to join up to local and national car and lift share schemes, even those that would seem to offer benefits in terms of lower costs, congestion and carbon reduction. This paper reports on qualitative research carried out by Coventry University into perceptions of social transport.