BT's scheme proves a hit, with more than 1,000 staff signed up
BT ENCOURAGES COMPANIES TO LOOK AT CAR SHARING
UK businesses are being encouraged to implement car-sharing schemes for their staff after BT revealed that its own scheme had proved a hit with staff, with more than 1,000 people already registered and reaping the environmental benefits.
In December 2005, BT teamed up with car-sharing pioneers liftshare to develop a scheme for its 90,000-strong UK-based workforce. The liftshare matching service puts BT people travelling in the same direction, or to a similar destination, in contact with each other so they can arrange to travel together and share the costs.
A typical daily car-sharer reduces their annual carbon footprint by up to a tonne of CO2, and gives savings of up to £1,000 each on transport costs. By reducing the overall number of cars on the road, there is also less congestion and fewer problems with parking.
Simon Paul, BT Group environment manager, said: "Sharing travel by car to and from work, or to meetings and business events, has already helped BT people make a contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and other related environmental impacts, as well as substantially reducing the cost of their motoring.
"The success of BT's car-sharing scheme has shown that there is great scope for UK companies of all sizes to implement their own – a win for the environment and a great way of saving money for passengers and drivers alike. If just half of UK motorists received a lift one day a week, congestion and pollution would be reduced by ten per cent."
Liftshare is the UK's largest car-share software provider, delivering schemes to more than 600 clients around the UK. Any company keen to find out more about the benefits of establishing a car-share scheme should contact liftshare on 08700 780225 or visit www.liftsharesolutions.com.
For further information on BT
NOTES FOR EDITORS
ENDS
Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369. All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.bt.com/newscentre.
For further information on liftshare
Please contact Louise Boom on 08700 780225 or 07795 487306, or via e-mail: louise@liftshare.com.
About BT's climate change pledges
As a consumer of 0.7% of the UK's entire electricity consumption BT is well-placed to make a significant contribution to the process of reducing carbon emissions. BT has extended its Green Energy contract until 2010. This contract will see BT saving the equivalent amount of carbon as that resulting from the electricity consumption of over 300,000 households - roughly the population of Liverpool and Cardiff combined - every year.
As part of its campaign to reduce emissions, BT has made the following pledges:
- Continue cutting carbon emissions. BT has already reduced emissions by 60 per cent between 1996 and 2006, it will now aim to extend that reduction to 80 per cent by 2016. Each year this will be the equivalent of the carbon emissions produced by 143,000 cars driving around the planet.
- Conduct a complete review of its energy supply, including exploring the further potential of wind
- Conduct a complete audit of the energy consumption of its data centres
- Influence its supply chain to produce lower carbon-emitting products
- Influence customers by proposing lower carbon solutions
- Engage with its 104,000 strong workforce to reduce their personal carbon footprints and empower them to influence their local communities
- Incorporate energy consumption and environmental factors into its procurement processes
BT is uniquely placed to harness the potential of networked IT services and the positive effect that they will continue to have on reducing carbon emissions through, for example, cutting down on unnecessary travel. More than 80 per cent of BT staff already work some or all of the time from home thanks to broadband technology, while BT's teleconferencing business is the fastest growing in the world. BT will also commit to incorporating energy consumption and environmental impact into its procurement processes, ensuring that all suppliers are compliant with BT's environmental targets.
More information about how people and companies can calculate their carbon footprint and explore ways of reducing their impact on global warming can be found at www.btplc.com/climatechange
The report Broadband: the role of communications in beating congestion can be downloaded from http://preview.tinyurl.com/547lt
About BT
BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include networked IT services, local, national and international telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and internet products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
In the year ended 31 March 2006, BT Group plc's revenue was £19,514 million with profit before taxation of £2,040 million.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
