In France, in order to obtain a driver's license, you are required to take at least 20 hours of driving lessons. The cars used for these lessons can carry 5 people, but they circulate with only two passengers: one instructor and one student. What if these 3 seats lost for each hour of driving could benefit people with mobility problems?

This is the idea behind the CER driving schools' "THE LOST RIDE" initiative, which consists of offering a free carpooling service to elderly people, people with reduced mobility or those who cannot afford public transport or a VTC.

For 40 years, the 500 driving schools in the CER network have been providing driving lessons to more than 150,000 people throughout France each year. With a minimum of 20 hours of training per person, this represents more than 4,000,000 hours of lessons given each year. How can we give more meaning and an additional use to these kilometers driven beyond the simple objective of teaching? At a time when it is urgent to reduce the carbon footprint of our travels, when the price of gasoline has risen by 35% in one year and when many people are isolated due to lack of access to transportation, the CER network is innovating and inventing a new mobility solution: supportive, ecological and free. A new form of carpooling that also allows students to learn to be responsible for the people they transport.

In France, 13.3 million people are in a situation of "precarious mobility". Most of them are elderly, disabled or have financial problems. 4.3 million of them live in an area where there is no collective mobility solution. A sharp increase in isolation was observed between 2017 and 2021 (+122%), i.e. 2 million isolated elderly people and 530,000 people who are in a situation of "social death", i.e. without contact with various circles of sociability.

As a major player in mobility, our mission is to help people get around. With this initiative, the CER is positioning itself as a committed and supportive player.

As a major player in mobility, our mission is to help people get around. With this initiative, the CER is positioning itself as a committed and supportive player. In addition to generating social links between generations and promoting social inclusion of vulnerable people, it also allows maximizes the use of each trip and reduces the carbon footprint of school cars. Carpooling reduces CO2 emissions by 25 to 40% compared to the use of a private car.

With "THE LOST RIDE" initiative, CER offers people with mobility problems the opportunity to take advantage of the 3 seats left vacant in the back of the driving school cars during each driving lesson. The service works very simply: contact your local CER driving school via their social networks to plan a pick up. Trips can be made for medical appointments, shopping, cultural outings or others. The idea is therefore to promote intergenerational solidarity and to help combat the social isolation of certain people by offering them a transport solution adapted to their needs. The full occupancy of each school car also reduces the carbon footprint of the vehicles that circulate all day to teach the students. This service has been designed to have no impact on learning and driving lessons.

With a media investment of 0 euros, "THE LOST RIDE" initiative generated more than 550 million PR impressions (TV, Radio, press, Social Media) for an average exposure of almost 4 minutes on national TVs. Registrations in CER driving schools have increased by approximately 30% since the launch of the operation, from a forecast of 150,000 people to almost 200,000. The awareness of the "CER" brand has jumped by more than 1000%.

There has been an ever-growing demand from registered students to be able to carpool people during their driving lessons. A new legislation to regulate this initiative is currently under discussion to create a legal framework (especially regarding insurance) to facilitate its implementation in all driving schools other than the CER.

The CER has set itself a mission that goes beyond simply teaching people how to drive: it aims to contribute to improving society by democratizing access to mobility for all, while making travel more sustainable. The Lost Ride initiative is perfectly aligned with this ambition as it not only gives people easy access to the easiest way to get around, but also allows them to reconnect socially during a driving lesson. This initiative has also shown that it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of driving lessons by optimizing the fill rate of each car. It is a bold initiative that has challenged a market that has been dormant for too long, redefining the goals of driver education for industry players. By aligning its brand mission with its business strategy, CER was able to create a unique and meaningful proposition that resonated with the public with significant commercial impact.