Parents Spend Nearly a Year of Their Lives Running a ’Mum & Dad Taxi Service’*

London – Britain’s parents spend up to a staggering 22 days1 a year driving their children to school, social events and after school activities - or nearly a year out of their lives, according to new research jointly commissioned by Shell and Citi.

Conducted by YouGov for Citi and Shell2, the research reveals that 91% of all parents who drive in the UK provide a ‘mum and dad taxi service’ for their children, which takes up to 10 hours per week. Furthermore, in addition to driving their own children, more than half (55%) of parents surveyed also give a lift to other people’s children on a regular basis.

Of the parents questioned, the majority (58%) are clocking up to 1,000 miles a year3 driving their offspring around and spending over £1,200 a year on fuel4. Over a quarter (26%) of parents drive up to 2,600 miles a year5, and 12% drive in excess of 50 ‘taxi’ miles a week.

Parents claim that being their children’s taxi service impacts on their own leisure time. Half of all parents (50%) regularly miss their favourite TV shows, over a third (38%) miss social activities and a third (37%) are short of sleep as a direct result of ferrying their children from place to place.

Almost a quarter of parents (23%) choose to pay for all of their fuel using a credit card. More fathers (27 per cent) than mothers (19%) take advantage of the ‘buy now, pay later’ approach and state they put the whole cost of fuel on their credit card.

Mums and dads in Scotland top the charts when it comes to clocking up the most miles, time and fuel spent on average as their children’s taxi service6. Parents in the south of England spend the least number of hours on average per week (4.09 hours) driving their children from place to place, compared to parents in Scotland who top the table with an average of 4.45 hours a week. Mums and dads in London travel the least number of miles (on average 20.81 miles) per week, with Scotland again topping the charts with an average weekly drive of 24.83 miles. Parents in the north spend the least on fuel, spending on average £22.33 a week, compared to Scottish parents who spend on average £27.75 per week.

Nana Banerjee, Head of Cards at Citi said: “For most parents, driving their children to school, parties, swimming and dance lessons is all part of their daily routine, without considering how much time this takes and how much money is spent on fuel, especially following the recent rise in fuel costs. The research highlights the crucial role parents play in maintaining their children’s social lives, and the sacrifices parents make so that their children have a safe and reliable means of transport.”

Nick Adams, General Manager Retail Sales & Operations at Shell commented: “The demands on today’s parents are ever increasing and the research clearly highlights the lengths parents are prepared to go to ensure their children have a varied and active social life. From ballet classes to football matches, parents are clearly going that extra mile for their children and the new Shell MasterCard from Citi gives parents the opportunity to earn a positive return on their fuel spend.”

The Shell MasterCard from Citi launched in September with a special 60 day double rebate promotion for everyone who applies before 30 November 2007. Cardholders can take advantage of earning a 6% Shell fuel rebate on Shell fuel purchases in Great Britain7, and a 2% Shell fuel rebate on other purchases made with their Shell MasterCard from Citi. After the introductory period, cardholders will continue to benefit from a 3% Shell fuel rebate on Shell fuel purchases in Great Britain and a 1% Shell fuel rebate on all other purchases made using their Shell MasterCard from Citi - with a typical 16.9% APR (variable). Any rebate earned will be credited to the customer’s account, providing they continue to purchase Shell fuel in Great Britain each month8.

Additional card benefits include:

* Motoring benefits – including offers and discounts
* Up to 70% off standard rate motor insurance premiums - based on 9 years no claim bonus (provided by Heath Lambert Insurance Limited)
* 30% discount on the standard RAC membership rate for life and receive free joint cover too (provided by RAC Motoring Services)
* No annual fee
* Free Citi Alerts – receive updates via text message, email or both
* Active fraud protection – to safeguard against fraudulent activity.

For further information about the new Shell MasterCard from Citi, call 0870 010 7301, visit www.shell.co.uk/smc or any Shell service station.

* Total of 48 weeks based on 3 weeks a year for 16 years

1. 5% of parents say that driving their children around takes them up to 10 hours per week. (10 hours X 52 weeks = 520 hours = 22 days)
2. These findings are based on YouGov research of 752 drivers; all parents of children aged 3 to 15.The survey was conducted online between 3rd and 6th September 2007.
3. 58% of parents usually drive up to 20 miles per week.
4. On average parents spend £23.89 on fuel per week.
5. 26% of parents usually drive up to 50 miles per week.
6. Each week parents in Scotland spend on average 4.45 hours and £27.75 on driving their children 24.83 miles.
7. Excludes Northern Island, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, where customers will receive 2% rebate in the 60 day double rebate period and 1% thereafter on Shell fuel.
8. Subject to Terms and Conditions. A customer’s earned Shell rebate on all spend as shown on their statement will only be redeemable against the value of future Shell fuel purchases in GB. If Shell fuel purchases in GB are less than the customer’s earned Shell rebate as shown on their statement, the difference will be rolled over to their next statement to be redeemed against future Shell fuel purchases in GB. If the customer does not purchase Shell fuel in GB for six months or more, any Shell rebate earned more than six months previously but not redeemed will be lost.