Road to anywhere is just a click away

That's the logic behind a supply teacher's business venture, which she hopes will strike a chord with hard-up students.

Juliet Greig's web site at catch-aride.co.uk helps people find lifts with registered drivers to just about anywhere in the UK.

The idea is that passengers, after paying a one-off joining fee of £1.99, get reasonably-priced journeys while drivers are paid up to 10p a mile per passenger.

Drivers can make a small profit while passengers get more convenient journeys and usually end up paying less than equivalent train fares.

A trip from Brighton to London, for example, would cost each passenger £5.90.

New Zealander Juliet, who teaches modern languages, said the idea came from talking to people on the Continent who had offered car journeys through similar sites.

Juliet, 29, said: "Because my teaching qualifications are from New Zealand I would have to retrain over here, so I was looking for a way to go into business.

"I just thought the idea was brilliant and there would be a market for it in Sussex because there are several universities.

I expect most of my customers will be people between 20 and 30.

"I think people are starting to realise the internet is the perfect tool for getting exactly what you want, from online supermarket shopping to cheap airline deals.

"And I don't think people mind paying a one-off fee for a service they can use as much as they want."

To reduce the risk of a road trip from hell, Juliet, of St Leonard's Avenue, Hove, has built a number of safeguards into the service.

Women can choose to have a female driver and everyone must show each other their passport before starting the journey.

Passengers and drivers must also provide the company with the landline telephone number of a friend or a relative who can vouch for them.

There is no obligation to go through with the journey if people feel uncomfortable with their passenger or driver.

Friday June 04, 2004