Car-sharing is gathering speed as Sydney residents trade in the cost and hassle of ownership in favour of hiring a vehicle to run errands or visit friends.
Drivers in 450 of these share cars are zipping around the city and green-minded councils are giving them access to free parking spaces.
Unlike traditional car-rental companies, car-share users pay an annual membership fee and can check online for available cars in their area. A swipe card gives members access to the cars and their account is billed by the hour and kilometres travelled.
Car-sharing companies push some of the environmental benefits – one share car is believed to take seven cars off the road – and for many commuters giving up the car can amount to annual savings of thousands of dollars. The cost of longer-term car-sharing is comparable to mainstream car hire, although petrol is sometimes included in the fee.
Parking spots for share cars are multiplying on the streets of inner-Sydney councils – Sydney has the most, followed by North Sydney, Marrickville, Waverley, Randwick and Leichhardt. But new planning requirements mean car sharing is expanding into the car parks of office blocks and apartment buildings.
Developers have also tapped into the phenomenon, which allows them to reduce the number of car spaces in residential developments in return for more car-share spots. Last year the City of Sydney council introduced rules requiring one car-share space for every 50 apartments in new developments.
As more drivers ditch their cars, car-share companies have begun a fierce battle for a larger slice of the market. The biggest player, GoGet, has 10,000 members and 414 cars, with relative newcomers such as Flexicar, owned by car rental giant Hertz, preparing to increase its fleet.
Nic Lowe, the co-founder of GoGet, believes there is a market for as many as 2000 share cars in Sydney.
“Sydney needs to grow its car-share fleet in line with other international cities such as New York and London.”
Mr Lowe said the company was growing by about 70 per cent each year; it started with just three cars in Marrickville in 2003.
Kimberly Palmer, a Flexicar spokeswoman, said a major Sydney expansion was on the agenda, although no specific date had been set.
Pip Jones, 39, a web developer from North Sydney, joined a car-share scheme two years ago and uses it about once a month to run errands.
“It’s great for picking something heavy up at Bunnings or a road trip for a weekend,” he said. “Being able to rent a car for a couple of hours and knowing it’s just around the corner is fantastic.”
Mr Jones said he did not need a car during the week because he commutes to work by train and is also a keen cyclist.
