Ride sharing to/from Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
We are piloting a cost-effective way for visitors and residents to get from Holy Island to the mainland and vice-versa.
Using a service called Liftshare, you are able to offer or look for rides to/from the island. Riders share the cost of the ride.
We expect the service to be more popular during high season.
Ultimately, there will be less supply/demand in the winter, especially until the service is established.
Tips on using the service while staying safe can be found here.
For those interested, the government’s lift sharing toolkit can be found here.
How it works
Drivers advertise the journey they plan to make, and riders can book to join them, then liaise directly with them.
Cost: riders will pay part of the cost of the ride. In the UK this cannot be for profit, as it will invalidate the driver’s insurance. The Liftshare service will suggest the cost based on HMRC’s mileage calculation (for example Berwick-Holy Island would be £2-3).
Of course, you can simply offer a free ride and enjoy meeting new people, or being nice to visitors and locals.
Payment: Riders pay the driver directly, either in cash or via transfer/Paypal. Remember your driver is not a commercial enterprise, and will not have change or a payment machine, so please be considerate and agree with the driver beforehand how you plan to pay your share.
How to offer a ride
1. Register on the Liftshare website.
2. Enter details of your journey. The website will calculate a suggested cost to be paid by your riders (or you can offer it for free).
3. Riders will contact you via the site, and you can liaise directly with them.
How to find a ride
1. Register on the Liftshare website.
2. Search for the trip you are looking for. Some examples (click to see):
— Holy Island to Berwick Station
— Berwick Station to Holy Island
You can also search for lifts from further afield (e.g. London or Newcastle).
IMPORTANT: Make sure the journey displayed takes you all the way to/from Holy Island, not just passing near it. Some of the journeys displayed will only drop you off at the A1 turning to the island, which is five miles from the island itself.
3. Follow the steps to book the journey.
4. Can’t find a journey for the date required? Publish your desired lift on the Holy Island Facebook group with a link to this page (note: if you don’t include a link, it will not be published to the group, as it will not show people how to book).
5. Make sure you have cash to pay for the journey, or agree with the driver another method for paying, such as a PayPal transfer.
Used the service? Let us know what you think
Your feedback will help us decide whether to continue with the pilot. Send your thoughts to [email protected]