Web Site Links British Car Owners and Repair Shops

A "crowdsourcing" Web site in the U.K. is connecting car owners who need their cars fixed with some 5,000 independent garages that bid for the work, the Financial Times reports.

The site, WhoCanFixMyCar.com, charges shops an annual fee to be listed and collects a commission on the work they win as a result. It also posts ratings by customers.

The site currently generates 1 million (€1.3 million) in business requests per month, according to the FT. It says the site expects to at least double the number of mechanics it represents by the end of the year.

The site says its success comes from aggregating customers for what has been an inefficient and very fragmented industry. The company is expanding into Australia.

Small independent garages account for two-thirds of the 26 billion British car owners spend annually on aftermarket repairs, according to a Boston Consulting Group study cited by the newspaper.