Introducing KarShare, a charitable business which relies on the goodwill of British people to keep healthcare professionals on the roads and mobile in these testing times. It’s the brainchild of Car & Away, which is a car-sharing platform based out of Gatwick and Bristol airport. Typically they pitch themselves as ‘like AirBnB, but for cars ’ but as the demand for airport vehicle renting and hiring has plummeted over the previous few months, their efforts have been placed elsewhere.
And that is how KarShare was born. KarShare is a community fleet initiative. They provide vehicles which have been fully cleaned and checked-over to health professionals and volunteers. The cars are sanitised and fully insured so that our frontline workers are able to work efficiently at this time of national crisis.
So, how would your car be used?
If you offer your car to KarShare for 1 week of service, it will perform three vital roles. Firstly, it will replace public transport. A lot of our key workers have always commuted to and from work via public transport, but these services have been drastically cut and it is putting workers at greater risk.
Secondly, it will be used to support the community by isolating at-risk workers who shouldn’t be sharing vehicles while delivering their services.
Third and finally, your vehicle will be used to distribute supplies, food, medicine, medical equipment and PPE.
KarShare promises that when your vehicle is returned to you it will be fully cleaned. This involves power washing the exterior, hoovering the carpets, seats and boot, cleaning the dashboard, steering wheel, instrument cluster, gear stick and handbrake and they will even inspect your vehicle to make sure everything is functioning as it should be.
So, where are the vehicles coming from?
That’s where you can help. KarShare is looking for motorists whose vehicles are sitting idle to donate their car for a period of a week or more. Typically cars are being donated for three week periods. A contact-free process of collecting the vehicle then comes into play.
KarShare is looking for vehicles in London, Bristol, Manchester & Brighton where their operations have already begun, as well as in Leeds where they are just launching.
Want to get involved?
You can get involved by simply clicking here to go to the KarShare website where you can apply to donate your vehicle in the area nearest to yourself. The process only takes a few seconds and someone from KarShare will be in touch to get your vehicle serving the community as soon as possible.
You can also get involved by borrowing a car by clicking here. If you work for the NHS, a hospice, a food bank or a community meal provider and you’re struggling with transportation then you could be eligible to borrow a car.