INNOVATION IN TRAVEL STILL SKY-HIGH AS FOURTH ‘TRUSTSEAL’ WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED – SHARING ECONOMY UK

Sharing Economy UK, the trade body representing and championing UK’s sharing economy businesses, has announced the latest recipients of its ‘TrustSeal’ – the world’s first trust kitemark for the industry.

Putting their own spin on travel, companies TransferTravel.com and Car & Away are the fourth-round winners of the TrustSeal.  TransferTravel.com helps customers snap up other people’s cancelled holiday plans. And Car & Away allows people to make money by renting out their car at the airport while they are abroad.

These firms have successfully met the TrustSeal principles of Good Practice. This followed a demanding application process and scrutiny by an advisory panel of independent, world-class leaders in the sharing economy industry.

The TrustSeal is an independently awarded kitemark that gives customers confidence that each awarded platform supports good standards in key areas including digital identity, transparency, customer help and support.

Andy Hibbert, Founder and CEO of Car & Away, said:

“We are delighted and proud to have been awarded the Sharing Economy UK TrustSeal. We understand that a large part of building confidence in the sharing economy is driven through trust and the TrustSeal is already a recognised standard that underpins this.

“We look forward to working together to build greater awareness and encourage others to participate and enjoy the many benefits offered through the sharing economy.”

Simon Powell, Founder and CEO of TransferTravel.com, said:

“We are delighted to have gained the TrustSeal within TransferTravel.com. It only enhances our commitment to our customers to uphold the highest of standards, but also strengthens TransferTravel’s ongoing work and support with Sharing Economy UK.

“It’s great to be recognised for putting our own stamp in the travel industry. We hope more firms are awarded the TrustSeal standard in the future.”

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CAR SHARING REVS UP WITH THIRD WAVE OF ‘TRUSTSEAL’ APPROVAL

Sharing Economy UK, the trade body representing and championing UK’s sharing economy businesses, has announced the latest recipients of its ‘TrustSeal’ – the world’s first trust kitemark for the industry.

Car sharing companies easyCar and Drivy are the third wave of firms to successfully meet the TrustSeal principles of Good Practice. This followed a rigorous application process and scrutiny by an advisory panel of independent, world-leading sharing economy industry experts.

The TrustSeal is an independently awarded kitemark that gives consumers confidence that each platform upholds good standards which protect consumers in key areas including digital identity, insurance, customer help and support.

Richard Laughton, CEO of easyCar, said:

“We’ve spent a great deal of time and effort establishing technologies and processes to give our members comfort that they can trade safely with each other.

“We’re delighted to have this effort recognised and hope that, as other companies adopt the TrustSeal standard, people will use sharing platforms more and more readily to save money in a social way.”

Katy Medlock, Head of UK for Drivy, said:

“We’re pleased that the Trust Seal Award has recognised our efforts to ensure a positive experience for our customers. As more and more people choose to share their assets, particularly personal ones such as their home or car, it is important to have a recognised standard of quality.

“We are strongly behind the Sharing Economy’s industry standards to help demonstrate these important values and encourage the sharing ethos.”

 

 

Scottish Government’s response to the report of the Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy

Sharing Economy UK has responded to the findings and recommendations in the Scottish Government’s response to the report of the Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy on how the collaborative economy can contribute to a fairer, more equal Scotland

Richard Laughton, Sharing Economy UK Chair and CEO of easyCar, said:

“Both the Scottish Government and Expert Panel have recognised the huge potential for the collaborative economy to bring together people and communities in new ways to the benefit of consumers, competition and the wider economy.

We are pleased to see the First Minister announce the launch of a ShareLab Scotland fund to help new platforms deliver social and economic value for Scotland. Sharing Economy UK will offer its support to Nesta in finding these ambitious projects to help deliver a collaborative economy that works for all of Scotland.

The report highlights solid progress Scotland is making in addressing key areas, including peer-to-peer accommodation, workers’ rights, crowd-funding, regulation and consumer protection. We look forward to exploring ways we can help further to spread good practice for collaborative platforms through initiatives like Sharing Economy UK’s TrustSeal.”

UK sharing economy usage rises by 60 per cent

Users of the sharing economy in the UK have grown by 60% in 18 months, a new survey has found.

Warwick Business School academics also found that 23% of the UK population use sharing economy services more than once a month.

In their report Who Shares and Who Doesn’t? Results of the Sharing Economy Consumer Survey 2017 Pinar Ozcan, Mareike Möhlmann and Chandy Krishnamorthy surveyed a representative sample of 1,220 UK residents as a follow up to their 2016 report. The sharing economy includes places to stay, rides, rental cars, parking, services, meals, pre-owned goods and funding.

Richard Laughton, Sharing Economy UK Chair and CEO of easyCar, said: “The sharing economy is becoming a lifestyle choice, with this detailed survey from Warwick Business School showing that 73% of people who engage more than once a month are using multiple platforms. Alongside the convenience the sharing economy brings, people realise that there are great deals to be had. The main reason for people not to take part is that they don’t know about the sharing economy, so we clearly have work still to do. But it’s very encouraging to find that more than 90% of people think schemes like Sharing Economy UK’s TrustSeal bring valuable reassurance”

For a copy of the report click here

TrustSeal in BBC News Online, Technology of Business

Sharing Economy UK’s TrustSeal featured in a BBC News Online article on peer-to-peer sharing economy tech platforms by Matthew Wall, Technology of Business editor.

The article features a section on trust issues in the sharing economy:

Peer-to-peer “sharing economy” tech platforms have mushroomed in the last decade, but very few have rivalled Airbnb or Uber in size, largely because consumers have found them difficult to trust. So how are tech firms rising to this challenge?

Trust issues

But many start-ups have fallen by the wayside in this nascent market, unable to engender enough trust and confidence in such novel services, or reach scale quickly enough to survive the cut-throat competition.

“The biggest challenge for peer-to-peer brands is trust,” says Richard Laughton, chief executive of car sharing platform easyCar Club and chair of trade body Sharing Economy UK.

“People on both sides of a rental need to be confident that their assets will be looked after and their safety guaranteed.”

Technology is making the vetting of users easier, he argues, enabling techniques such as video verification and social media profile analysis to supplement the established rating systems.

And smart “internet of things” sensors could be “built seamlessly into the rental process to provide accurate feedback on how assets are being used,” he adds.

Kitemark schemes, such as Sharing Economy UK’s TrustSeal, also help to engender confidence, says Mr Laughton.

Read the full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44301183

How Can Cities Leverage the Potential of the ‘Sharing Economy’?

Sharing Economy UK contributed to a World Economic Forum #sharingcities report, highlighting the TrustSeal which is the world’s first kitemark for sharing economy organisations.

The new paper on Collaboration in Cities: From Sharing to ‘Sharing Economy’, identifies and answers key questions for cities about the sharing economy.

· What does the sharing economy mean for cities? Who are the actors of the sharing economy? What are the drivers of sharing? What is being shared in cities? How can cities share? What are the issues and challenges in the sharing economy? How should sharing be regulated?

· Case studies from cities around the world – including Seattle, London, New York, Melbourne, São Paulo, Kigali, Seoul, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Kamaishi – show how sharing is transforming citizens’ lives, boosting economies, social cohesion and the environment.

· The complete paper is available here

The paper, mandated by the World Economic Forum Future of Urban Development and Services Initiative Steering and Advisory Committee, explores opportunities and challenges of the sharing economy in cities by highlighting examples and solutions from cities around the world.

The paper also explores sharing-economy ideas that span multiple cities:

· “Co-City” protocol is exploring forms of shared, collaborative and polycentric urban governance.

· Sharing Cities Alliance organizes summits, seminars and a knowledge base for cities to draw on.

· Trust Seal is the first kitemark for sharing-economy companies, proving they adhere to good practice.

Read the full press release here

Second wave of innovators win ‘TrustSeal’ of approval

Sharing Economy UK, the trade body representing and championing UK’s sharing economy businesses, has announced the latest recipients of its ‘TrustSeal’ – the world’s first kitemark for the industry.

Home sharing platform Airbnb, ticket exchange StubHub, pet-sitting and travel website TrustedHousesitters and car rental company HiyaCar are the second round of firms to successfully meet the TrustSeal eight principles of Good Practice.  This followed a rigorous application process and scrutiny by an advisory panel of independent, industry experts.

The TrustSeal is an independently awarded kitemark that gives customers confidence that each platform upholds important standards to protect consumers online in key areas including help and support, secure payments and data protection.

Chair of Sharing Economy UK and CEO of Easy Car, Richard Laughton, said:

“For the sharing economy to reach its full potential, it must continue to build trust amongst a growing customer base and that’s the objective of the TrustSeal.

“Congratulations to all those awarded today – they have shown they have the services and processes in place to uphold the highest standards of customer safety. Our ambition now is for more companies in the sector to follow in their footsteps.”

Alison Hastings, communications expert and member of the TrustSeal Advisory Panel said:

“The Trust Seal is the world’s first kitemark for the sharing economy and shows an industry willing to step up proactively to address issues of trust.

“As usage of platforms grows, the TrustSeal promises to be an even more important tool to help customers make smart decisions, feel safe and secure when they participate in sector.”

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World’s first kitemark for the sharing economy

“Sharing Economy UK, the trade body representing and championing the UK’s sharing economy industry, today announces the ‘TrustSeal’ – the world’s first kitemark for the sharing economy.”

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