QBE is providing insurance for a free community car sharing scheme to help support critical services during the Covid-19 crisis.
It has partnered with a Bristol-based company, Car & Away, which has launched a free community car share scheme to help move essential services around Bristol as the crisis intensifies.
The scheme, Karshare, aims to establish a fleet of 500 cars, on loan from members of the local community, to be used by charity workers, food bank and NHS volunteers, health workers and care workers, free of charge. The scheme will work as follows:
- Local people have been asked to donate their unused cars for a week
- The scheme will see them collected and cleaned
- The cars will be inspected for roadworthiness and fully insured
- They will then be given to Bristol-based charities, NHS volunteers, food banks and frontline workers who can use them to keep essential goods and services moving in Bristol
Jon Dye, Director of Underwriting for Motor at QBE Europe: “We are pleased to support this scheme which will help critical workers and services during these difficult times. It is more important than ever that we find innovative ways to help our customers and the communities in which they operate.”
Karshare founder Andy Hibbert said: “We’re already partnered with Bristol Airport and QBE Insurance where we run a service renting out people’s cars when they go on holiday. We started thinking about how we could make a difference in the current situation and the principle is exactly the same.
“The average car lies unused for 96% of the time, even more so when offices and schools are shut. It seems like a waste when there are many charities and locals within the community that need transportation support right now."
QBE Insurance Group is providing the insurance, the RAC is covering roadside assistance and The Assured Group is providing the cleaning of all cars.