Click here to read the free Vehicle Share Factsheet, which provides further information and guidance about sharing a vehicle with others.

There are many reasons why people might want to share a motorbike, but the main benefits are the following:

• Financial reasons - By sharing a motorbike with others you can split the costs of owning, keeping and using the motorbike between more people and reduce the amount each person pays towards their travel costs. By sharing with other people you might be able to afford that motorbike you have been dreaming about!
• Storage reasons – Motorbikes should ideally be stored safely inside a garage, especially a more expensive model. However, many people may not have access to a garage and thus may be reluctant to spend money on a motorbike without the necessary facilities to store it safely. Sharing a motorbike with a friend or neighbour who does have a garage could solve this difficulty.
• Environmental reasons – A motorbike sharing scheme means that each sharer no longer has unlimited access to a bike. This will encourage the sharers to think about the journeys they make and whether they could replace some trips with cycling, walking or taking a train or bus. Also, a motorbike share scheme will help to reduce the number of vehicles that need to be manufactured and scrapped, thus wasting fewer precious resources.

These factors will often apply together rather than in isolation, such as in the following example:

Two friends love the idea of owning a motorbike for using at the weekends, but neither feels they can afford the outlay on a motorbike that is powerful enough to meet their needs, and in addition one friend does not have a garage and is uncomfortable leaving an expensive new bike on the street.  They may decide to purchase a motorbike together and to share the running costs, while the sharer with the garage will store it at all times.  This will be less expensive than buying and running a motorbike each, and is therefore likely to make it affordable when it otherwise would not be possible for either of the sharers. It will also ensure that the motorbike is safely stored in a garage. The fact that the motorbike is not available for use every day, and the sharers do not feel that they have to use it every day to get value for money any longer, may encourage the sharers to use different forms of more sustainable transport at other times when the bike is unavailable.

For people who are interested in motorbike sharing we provide two different agreements:

• For use when all of the sharers own or will own shares in the motorbike
• The running costs will all be split between the sharers in proportion with their share in the ownership of the motorbike

• For use when one sharer will own the motorbike, and will then charge the other sharers a mileage rate and also an annual rate) to cover the costs of running the bike

To buy an agreement or to find out more about their content and application, click on the links above.