When will we be 'allowed' to give lifts?

[wonderstuff]

Can't see it mentioned on the road map, right pain at the moment not being able to share lifts to get kids places.

So the wording is "avoid". Not "it is not permitted / against the law".

Just do it.

We've been doing it for months. I leave it up to my fellow passenger(s) as to whether we wear masks or open windows.

I think it's advice not to share rather than illegal. Yesterday I drove a friend and her daughter with my two children. All five of us test twice a week and both adults have been vaccinated. I really don't think us sharing a car was any great risk in this instance.

Never stopped taking or giving lifts 🤷‍♀️

Just do it. We recently had my Dad's funeral and a lot of people gave lifts to others. It allowed those unable to drive for whatever reason to attend.

Nobody batted an eyelid and nobody gave a shit.

It's always been allowed, just advised against. It could not be made illegal as it would mean taxi's weren't able to operate, surely.

I didn’t even know this wasn’t allowed.. I’ve been giving people lifts the whole time. With masks usually. But often it’s friends kids on the nursery run!

You are allowed to give lifts. Our local market town (East Midlands) has official COVID signs on all the main routes saying "If you are sharing your car for lifts, have windows open and all parties to wear masks" so I assume it's been fine for a while....the signs have been up for a couple of months.

I won’t give any lifts at the moment as it’s against guidance. My kids may be in school with their friends, but I’m not, therefore it’s an unnecessary contact between me and the friend. I do not want to put myself in a position where I or, someone else have to self isolate.
I do believe lift sharing was one of the main reasons children’s sport was stopped during lockdown. It’s not the kids playing sport that was the problem, it’s the parent interactions that inevitably come with it.

I see lots of people getting lifts, getting dropped off or picked up.

the elderly chap I volunteer for doesn't drive, he gets lifts to places like the vaccination centre, hospital appointments, vet appointments for his dog. Needs must.

Presumably only once social distancing is lifted as you can't distance in a car. So it isn't on the road map because that is the vaguely defined last step.

There's no logic here. If they were going to get a bus with lots of people on, how is a car share any more risky?

Just do it

@Looneytune253

Seems like one of the crazier rules tbh. If I was going out with someone and was not allowed to give them a lift they'd have to go on public transport which surely is higher risk for them and a larger risk for the community as a whole if everyone is also on the public transport

Yes this . You can’t give someone a lift but hey can get public transport with the great unwashed nah

I’m not sure which guidance people are looking at but the gov website says “must not” not “avoid” so I think it is actually illegal not just guidance?

You must follow the social contact rules when travelling in private vehicles. This means you must not share enclosed private vehicles with anyone from outside your household or your support bubble, unless an exemption exists, such as you are sharing the vehicle with someone working (e.g. a taxi). Where a vehicle is open air, you must follow the outdoor gathering limits.
www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#travelling-within-england

Car sharing is not permitted with someone from outside your household or your support bubble unless your journey is undertaken for an exempt reason. For example, if car sharing is reasonably necessary as part of your work

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#private-cars-and-other-vehicles

We have been sharing lifts already - I can't follow the rules so stringently when kids need gettibg to football / train station etc and we work!!

We car share at work, we just all wear masks.

I couldn't give a shit about whether or not it was legal. It was practical and necessary.

@ceeveebee that is exactly what I read and felt it was quite clear. Like so many of the lockdown rules/guidance, they are interpreted by individuals so their own lives are impacted minimally. Driving grandad to a hospital appointment is not the same as getting Johnny to football training.

Driving people to a funeral would be an exempt reason on compassionate grounds I’m sure.

Driving kids for a social date not so much (which is what the op is about)

The problem with giving lifts is that being in the same vehicle as someone means you are automatically a close contact for test & trace purposes and so would need to self isolate if one of the people in the car tests positive or develops symptoms in the next 48 hours. I'm just trying to minimise the situations in which I have to self isolate so we're not lift sharing at the moment. If I was otherwise in a bubble with them, I wouldn't care.

@Whoateallthechocolate
This is true. With the school lifts we were all very aware that if one household had to isolate, we all would.

Wow I thought people were just doing this! I’ve given friends lifts several times to avoid them having to get the bus, just use common sense. It’s no different to a taxi in fact it’s “safer”

I often get lifts at the end of my shift with various people from work. Just crack on with it. Ateast I know this person and it's better than using a cab where I don't know the driver

[quote beckypv]@ceeveebee that is exactly what I read and felt it was quite clear. Like so many of the lockdown rules/guidance, they are interpreted by individuals so their own lives are impacted minimally. Driving grandad to a hospital appointment is not the same as getting Johnny to football training.[/quote]
Sorry Johnny, Jimmy's Dad can't give you a lift to football training as it's illegal and we'll all contract covid, instead we'll use a taxi or get the bus because covid doesn't exist on paid methods of transport only in Jimmy's Dads car