TRADERS in Southend can reduce their costs by £1,000 a year by signing up to a brand-new car share scheme.

Southend Business Improvement District (BID), which represents dozens of town centre firms, is introducing the initiative, called Liftshare.

However, traders are not optimistic that the idea will help solve the parking problems in the town.

BID has said that Liftshare will help employees save money on fuel and parking costs with the average car share user saving £1,000 per year.

It adds that lift sharing makes the commute more sociable and will help ease congestion and pollution.

BID says the scheme will also reduce demand from commuters for parking, freeing up spaces for visitors.

Paul Thompson, of the Seafront Traders Association, said he was not convinced that the scheme would make that much difference.

He added: “If you can get three or four staff driving in one car rather than three or four cars, it would save parking spaces for visitors and shoppers because there is a massive shortage of parking spaces at the sea front and town centre.

“Unfortunately I’m not sure whether it will work or not.

“I think it will be more successful for people who are commuting to London.

“Some of my staff share lifts already and a lot of them walk.

“If it works it works but I’m not sure it will.

“We are desperate for more parking spaces and if we can help that then good, but in reality we need major investment and the council don’t understand the bigger picture.”

He added that the need for more parking spaces was more pressing with the second Thames crossing opening up the borough to more tourists and day trippers from Kent.

Liftshare is available to all BID businesses.

It is free, and can be accessed and registered to easily via the website and app stores iTunes and Google Play and requires minimum commitment, allowing users to share as much or as little as they prefer.

Simply add your location and the system will search through to find other users who share the same destinations.

A non-driver can also sign up to the scheme as a passenger, who will usually make a contribution to driver’s fuel costs.

Many drivers are willing to share their journey to work if there is another to travel alongside.

Those employees who cycle or use a bus to travel to work, can also be put into contact with other cyclists and bus users.

For more information, contact South Essex Active Travel (SEAT) on 01702 534439 or visit the website at ideasinmotionsouthend@southend.gov.uk