With ever rising petrol prices, motorists in Devon are being encouraged to carshare with other commuters to save on fuel costs.

Members of Carsharedevon.com say they were really beginning to feel the squeeze when filling up at their vehicles before joining the scheme but now say they've made huge savings at the petrol pumps.

Many drivers who've already signed up say others could be missing out and potentially losing hundreds of pounds every year by not joining.

There are now more than 8,840 registered members. It's free and allows people in Devon and across the south west to find others to share their journey, either taking turns with the driving, or giving someone a lift in exchange for a contribution to the fuel costs. Carsharedevon.com is commissioned by Devon County Council, in partnership with Plymouth and Torbay Councils.

A simple online calculator can work out the potential savings just by entering your travel details such as mileage and the days you need to drive.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation says; "We already have a great number of people who have signed up to Carsharedevon and while not all of them will find a match right away, I want to thank them for their continued support. However, there is scope for more commuters to get involved and I really would encourage anyone driving regularly to go to Carsharedevon.com, register and look at the possibilities. Not only could it save you hundreds of pounds every year, you'll be doing your bit for the environment and saving yourself the stress of having to drive every day."

John Harrison, from Bideford, says: "Carsharedevon has worked out really well for me. When I first moved to Devon I ended up getting a job in Exeter but living near Bideford which meant a big commute each day. After signing up to Carsharedevon I found a colleague, Paul, who lived in the same village as me and we have shared lifts ever since. It means driving 2 or 3 times a week rather than 5. It saves us each around £40 per week which is great and we have even become good friends. It’s also useful to have someone to talk to on winter mornings and evenings and his bad jokes keep me well awake."

Stuart, Sarah and Mairi have been car sharing for the past year and found each other via Carsharedevon.com. They drive from Okehampton to Exeter every weekday.

Mairi says: " Before car sharing I would end up staying later at work, sometimes leaving after 7pm but now I arrive earlier than most people in the office, I can do more during the day then leave promptly at 4.30pm, and I always get home by 5.30pm. Of course the main reason we all car share is to reduce our weekly petrol cost, and it's saving me around £30 a week, but overall, it's been an easy and flexible way to get to work."

Stuart says: "We worked out that if we leave Okehampton no later than 7.40am we can usually avoid the congestion when we arrive the Aphington Road junction/roundabout off the A30. We just text each other when we're about to leave home or work."

Sarah adds: "Having some company on the way home to chat about what happened during the day is great. And it's interesting to find out about other people."

Car share fan, Dave Carson travelled from Exmouth to Ashburton on his daily commute and was driving an average 1,000 miles a month until he found three car share partners through carsharedevon.com which saved him £120 a month on fuel costs alone

Users can now join and sign into carsharedevon.com using their Facebook account. They can also post the journeys they want to share to Facebook and Twitter.