CONCERNS have been raised over plans to introduce a car-sharing scheme on a busy stretch of the M25.

Although the RAC Foundation supports car sharing, it believes introducing a scheme on the M25 could lead to problems.

Executive director Edmund King said: ‘The RAC Foundation questions whether a car-share lane on the M25 will do anything to reduce congestion.

‘Most drivers on this section of motorway are travelling to completely different destinations so it would be almost impossible to car share with another driver using your exact route.’

The warning came as the Department for Transport revealed it had spent more than £350,000 supporting a car sharing scheme since 1999.

CarPlus, which received the grants, offers a car club advisory service to help companies and organisations create systems for drivers to share cars and cut congestion.

Details of the payments were revealed in the House of Commons by Charlotte Atkins, the Under-Secretary of State to the Department for Transport last month. And car-sharing club Urbigo – which aims to take unnecessary cars off the roads and reduce parking congestion and is run by Avis – has announced it has extended its operations to include new sites based in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Camden and Westminster.

This adds to four successful schemes already operating in Sutton, Southwark, Deptford and Oxford.

Avis is already fielding enquiries from companies in London which need a vehicle for non-company car drivers for a very short period of time, but want peace of mind that it is safe and roadworthy to meet Duty of Care legislation. It also means companies can get drivers into an Urbigo car rather than running their own pool cars, ridding themselves of the problems associated with this area.