Car Sharing in the Byron Shire

Purpose:

• To investigate the different types of car sharing models available in Australia and how they work.

• To explore the potential for car sharing to alleviate car parking and traffic issues, reduce emissions and provide a more affordable transport option for the Byron Shire community.

• Ascertain whether Council can participate in car sharing as an alternative to traditional fleet leasing arrangements, or in conjunction with these.

Objectives:

1. Demonstrate leadership – contribute to Council and community behaviour changes about sustainable transport. 2. Introduce an alternative option to developers for site development including an option for no parking to deliver better design outcomes for sustainability. 3. Reduce on-street parking demand in the Shire. 4. Reduce traffic (even minimally) – relieve congestion and improve air quality, and the pedestrian environment. 5. Explore the use of car sharing for Council and whether it could compliment the traditional fleet leasing model (delivering on emissions reductions and cost efficiencies). 6. Encouragement of more sustainable models of transport for both locals and visitors in line with emissions reduction objectives. 7. Another transport option for locals that may deliver greater affordability, flexibility and environmental value for residents.

Strategic links:

Community Strategic Plan 2022

Council Resolution 17-005 Resolved that Council note the report Byron Bay Town Centre Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan controls review (Richardson/Hunter).

Electronic Vehicle Strategy

Internal sources:

• Shannon Burt, Director - Sustainable Environment & Economy • Patricia Docherty, Planner • Kim Mallee, Sustainability Officer • Rod Teale, Team Leader Fleet & Depot • Tony Nash, Manager Works • Phil Holloway, Director Infrastructure Services

External sources:

• Steven Burgess, MRCagney Consultants • Go Get – Christopher Vanesse, Development Manager • Green Car Share – Sahil Bhasin, Manager • Car Next Door – Kate Trumbull, Government Liaison/Manager • Australian National University – Neil Ross (ANU Carshare support and operations)

Summary: Car sharing schemes allow individuals to gain the benefits of private vehicle use without the costs and responsibilities of owning a car.

Get Go, Green Share Car and others, who have been operating in major cities for some time, could work successfully in the Byron Shire and help to alleviate car parking and traffic issues, reduce emissions and provide a more affordable transport option to the Byron Shire community.

Where to next:

There are a number of options (and combination of options) in terms of next steps:

1) Create a policy that enables Byron Shire to take up commercial car sharing schemes if and when viable. This could include various models of car sharing to suit the needs of our resident and visitor population in response to demand.

2) Conduct a procurement process to run a pilot for a trial period of 1-2 years with a traditional car share company (where a company owns and supplies a car or a fleet of cars to be shared by its users/members). The purpose of the trial will be to determine the real need and value of car sharing to the community and to assess the financial viability of commercial car sharing in a regional area with a small residential population (but large tourism footprint).

3) Conduct a pilot for a trial period of 1-2 years involving a combination of various models of car sharing, if deemed feasible, such as traditional, peer-to-peer and social enterprise/not for profit. Develop criteria to measure the success or otherwise of the pilot to establish what works and what doesn’t.

4) Explore what is possible and viable during a pilot period for Council to become an ‘anchor tenant’ for car sharing. The objective would be for council staff to lead by example by utilising a car sharing scheme either with its existing fleet and/or commercially managed vehicles to replace a percentage of Council’s own pool cars. This would enable staff to opt-in to use car share vehicles to occasionally get to and from work or use a car share vehicle while at work. It could even give staff access to underutilised vehicles at the weekend such as a ute for short trips.

5) Council to consider engaging other potential partner ‘anchor tenants’ during the trial/pilot including major hotels and other major employment providers to widen the shire/region’s exposure to car sharing as a concept.

6) Any pilot should be cognisant of the existing Northern Rivers Carpool scheme to compliment or extend its functionality.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ...... 4 2. Background ...... 5 3. The Car Share Industry ...... 13 4. Car Sharing in the Byron Shire ...... 16 5. What other councils are doing: Case studies ...... 23 6. Decoupling car and home ownership ...... 26 7. Research Findings ...... 30 8. Recommendations / Next Steps ...... 32 9. APPENDICES ...... 33 Appendix A - GreenShareCar ...... 33

Appendix B - GoGet ...... 36

Appendix C – Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing...... 39

1. Introduction

Since its inception around 15 years ago, the Australian car share industry now supports around 66,000 users, who access 2,200 car share vehicles1. This research paper looks at the different models of car sharing and their technological platforms and offers some background information about the key players in this industry. The paper also explores varying approaches that LGAs have taken to car sharing, and the benefits that have been delivered.

A major challenge for car sharing that is of particular interest to the Byron Shire, is how it can operate successfully in a rural/regional setting. To date, there have been very few examples of commercial car share schemes operating regionally in Australia. Similarly peer-to-peer services, the AirBnB model of supply and demand, are successfully operating in a number of cities but have not expanded into any Australian regional towns as yet, with a trial in Newcastle recently being discontinued due to lack of uptake with operator CarNextDoor. (However, GoGet disclosed that they are moving their service into Newcastle late 2017.)

As well as being a potential obstacle for the Byron Shire, our regional setting and unique mobility footprint – who we are and how we travel around - also presents an opportunity for Byron to lead the way with a policy that sets out Council’s intention to encourage sustainable transport options. Leadership in this area can build on council’s commitment to environmentally friendly and affordable transport options for the community through schemes like the successful Northern Rivers Carpool scheme (now in its 8th year, with more than 2300 members) and the Byron Shire Council funded Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Strategy.

The future of car ownership is facing enormous change. These changes were recognised in the recent release2 of the State Government’s Future Transport 2056 draft regional strategy. The document provides a platform and a strategy for major infrastructure investment in transport and roads, with the Government reportedly set to invest $13 billion in road upgrades at the State’s freight pinch points and for public transport to service communities. At the launch of the document, NSW’s Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance said that he believed transport would become autonomous in the next 15 to 20 years, dramatically changing how people choose to travel.

1 The Future of Car Ownership, NRMA research paper, August 2017.

2 https://m.northernstar.com.au/news/driverless-cars-a-game-changer-for-road- safety/3246306/

Congestion, pollution and the impacts they have on the liveability and desirability of our towns and urban environments are driving all levels of government and industry to find new solutions. Faced with climate change, the environmental imperative has never been greater to stop the urban sprawl and “McMansion Mentality” in favour of compact living in cities and towns and diverse housing options that will increase demand for a wider sharing economy as the size of our house and building footprints continue to shrink.

Simultaneously, revolutions in artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, car sharing, ride sharing and connected vehicle technology will radically alter the concept of how we move around in our cities, towns and on our roads. Internationally, progressive countries are moving towards a revolution in mobility at a rate of knots, with cities such as Helsinki, Finland, proposing to end private vehicle use altogether by 2025. The hope is to furnish riders with an array of options so cheap, flexible and well-coordinated that it becomes competitive with private car ownership not merely on cost, but on convenience and ease of use.3

High level autonomous vehicles are expected to arrive in Australia as early as 2020 (less than three years away) with the NRMA believing some level of human interaction with a vehicle will remain the norm in Australian society up until 2025. After that, according to the NRMA, car ownership will no longer be a necessity but a choice.

How these trends will play out in a regional context is uncertain. The answer to this may lay in the definition of travel itself, and why we need to get in our cars in the first place. A ‘new work order’ will present massive changes in how and where we work, and it is widely recognised that work in the future will be far more flexible, enabling employees to work remotely, from home or wherever they are4. Improvements to technology and communications may completely change the transport needs of regional communities in ways we are only beginning to imagine.

2. Background

2.1 What is car sharing?

‘Traditional’ car sharing refers to the model where a company owns and supplies a car or a fleet of cars to be shared by its users/members. These cars are maintained and managed by the company. The concept of car sharing involves vehicles being located near the homes of its members in designated, mostly on-street, car parking spaces (also called ‘pods’). The car

3 https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jul/10/helsinki-shared-public-transport-plan-car- ownership-pointless

4 The New Work Order, Foundation for Young Australians, p19

share company works with the local council/s to arrange the locations and regulations regarding use of the car parking spaces. Users then book their rental vehicle online, via an app or over the phone and pay a membership fee and/or additional rental fees (pay as you go by the hour) for use of a shared vehicle. There are numerous car share companies operating in Australia and they each offer varying rates, fees and benefits.

Once a car share vehicle is booked, members access the car via a smart card. A key is accessible inside the car (or a coding system enables ignition).

Car share schemes can be set up and managed by a range of different groups including: - Commercial companies - Not-for-profit organisations - Neighbourhood/community groups - Work places - Groups of residents - Developers (on behalf of residents)

See Section 3 of this research paper for a summary of key industry players providing car sharing services in Australia.

There are also several peer-to-peer car share companies (see 2.3), social impact investment car share organisations (see 2.4) and one-way point-to- point rentals which are becoming more popular overseas (see 2.5).

2.2 What is the difference between car sharing and traditional car hire?

Traditional Car Hire

This refers to the commercial renting of vehicles for a minimum of 24 hours. Companies like Avis, Europcar and Hertz (who have also moved into the car sharing space with Hertz 24/7 and Flexicar) are a few of the companies currently providing daily car rental agreements in Australia.

The requirement of minimum 24 hour hire means that users are locked in to significantly higher rental fees, regardless of how much they use the car in the 24 hour period. The other main downside of traditional car hire arises from this industry’s reliance on key collection from company offices or booths, typically located at airports and transport hubs. Many of these car hire services are therefore only available during office hours.

Traditional (or commercial) Car Sharing

Two of the major differences between traditional car hire and car sharing include that when you car share you can:

Open the vehicle with a SmartCard: no need for keys Car sharing companies, on the other hand, use new technology and ‘smart cards’ so that members can open and start vehicles within minutes of making a booking (and without needing to deal with a person at an office or booth).

Book online, via an app or over the phone – for an hour (rather than a day) Technology platforms have been a major driver of rapid uptake of car share services in Australia. The ability to make a booking to rent a vehicle via a website or app in real time, for a minimum of an hour (rather than a day) opened up a completely new service to a new market, dominated by a young, tech-savvy, ‘millennial’ demographic already familiar with the share economy and using apps to book their holiday accommodation through AirBnB, a taxi service through Uber ride or pre-order a coffee from a local cafe.

Smartphone ownership in Australia increased from 11.1 million in 2013 to 15.3 million in mid-2015, and with greater access than ever to car sharing apps, users could be standing beside the car share vehicle of their choice as they made a booking. Overseas, car sharing has grown to such an extent that member users don’t even need to book the car of their choice – they can just access it with their smartcard and go.

Summary of advantages of car sharing in Australia:

 Petrol is provided at no cost to the user Another major benefit of car share services is that petrol is included in every booking, no matter how far you drive. Most car share schemes require the driver to fill up with petrol (to at least a quarter of a tank) before returing the vehicle.

 Car maintainance, servicing and cleaning are covered Car maintainance, servicing and cleaning are also usually the responsibility of the car share provider.

 Insurance is covered Insurance generally includes full liability and collision coverage, so users don’t need to take out their own coverage, but each company has its own insurers and rules and it pays to read the fine print. Some car share companies offer premium by the hour fees with lowered insurance excess (in some cases the premium lowers the excess to $0).

 There is a membership fee Most car sharing companies in Australia work on a membership system. Membership can cost anything from $12 per month. While Hertz 24/7 offered free membership over the last two years, their recent transition to the Flexicar brand (which they own) means new members will be charged membership fees. All Australian-based car share schemes are now running on a membership model.

 Pick you car up from a ‘pod’ and return it to the same spot When you rent via a car sharing platform, you pick up your car from a designated car space, or ‘pod,’ and return it to that same pod within the time you’ve allocated. Extensions to this can be arranged online (if the vehicle is not already booked). The car share company negotiates on car parking spaces and locations with the local council.

2.3 Peer-to-peer car share for short-term bookings (from an hour to a few weeks)

Peer-to-peer is the AirBnB of car sharing. Instead of a company providing vehicles to be rented, anybody who meets the eligibility criteria can sign up to rent their vehicle out. A person wishing to rent a car simply becomes a member (it’s free to sign up and daily rates can be up to 40% cheaper than other car sharing options. As with AirBnB, the competitive nature of peer-to- peer car sharing services are generating demand and popularity.

How does it work?

Peer-to-peer car share services enable users to “borrow cars from real people”. If you have a car that sits idle for blocks of time, you can sign up with Drive My Car or Car Next Door (subject to meeting location and vehicle eligibility – outlined further below) and start making money from renting your personal vehicle to the vetted members of the Car Next Door sharing community.

2.4 Long-term peer-to-peer car rental (from a month to a year)

This is the long term AirBnB solution to car rental. One Australian operator, Drive My Car Rentals, lets you rent cars from people who aren’t using them for a long period, from a month to a year. Borrowers need to meet the car’s owner to exchange keys, and a contract must be signed by the user each time a vehicle is rented. www.drivemycar.com.au

2.5 The Sharing Economy is growing…

The sharing economy has extended into a range of service areas. There’s peer-to-peer parking (https://www.justpark.com/) – a platform that enables members to rent out their driveway or a dedicated parking space for a fee (paid straight into their bank account).

Car Next Door is a founding member of The Sharing Hub (www.sharinghub.com), along with Mad Paws (book a pet sitter), Spacer (rent storage and parking) and Zoom2u (on demand delivery). The peer-to-peer model is being applied to just about everything. A quick investigation of these services revealed that they are not yet extending reach to the Byron Shire. Services running out of Brisbane extend to about 100km radius so far. But when there is enough demand, expect to see more of these services in the

Byron Shire.

The impact of the sharing economy on regional jobs and employment

The Foundation for Young Australia’s (FYA) New Work Order report (2015) predicts that the sharing economy may shape the jobs for young people in the future. This may have particular consequences for residents of regional communities where meaningful, career-supporting employment is limited. The sharing economy, or peer-to-peer capitalism, enables individuals to share their under-utilised assets to generate income.

2.5 Social impact investment car sharing models

Social impact car sharing models are popping up around the world. A successful UK based example is the Community Interest Company or car sharing ‘co-op’ which has car clubs in more than 60 locations across the UK, providing car sharing services in a diverse range of locations from city centres to villages. Some of the co-op’s car clubs are used by local authorities and universities as pool cars for staff, while others focus entirely on being shared cars for local residents. Here is an excerpt from the website:

“Trading as a social enterprise means a commitment to improve society and environment. Our primary focus is to help our members to save money, reduce car ownership and create a cleaner environment by making lower impact transport options available to everyone. Because Co-wheels is a Community Interest Company, we reinvest profit into our operations to expand and improve the service.”

2.6 One way point-to-point car sharing

In Europe and the USA, companies such as Car2go feature one-way point-to- point rentals. Users are charged by the minute, with hourly and daily rates available. The service forgoes the typical centralised rental office, and cars are user-accessed via a downloadable smartphone app wherever they are parked.

As of July 2017, Car2go is the largest car sharing company in the world with 2,500,000 registered members and a fleet of nearly 14,000 vehicles in 26 locations in North America, Europe and Asia. (source: car2go.com)

2.7 What's the difference between car sharing and 'ride sharing' or car pooling?

When you ride share or car pool, you arrange to be in the car with other people heading to the same place (or at least in the same direction). This is different to the concept of car sharing which actually shares the vehicle as an asset and you may choose to travel alone. The two schemes are not mutually exclusive and have potential to be combined.

Byron Shire Council co-created Australia’s first government funded and free public carpool service, the Northern Rivers Carpool. The scheme was initially funded by NSW Transport and Infrastructure, six north coast councils (Lismore, Ballina, Byron, Clarence, Richmond and Tweed), Southern Cross University, North Coast Institute of TAFE and North Coast Area Health Service.

The scheme has been one of the best examples of regional partnerships Byron Shire Council has been involved in, according to Kim Mallee (BSC Sustainability Officer). It has run as a free service for users since 2009, with the administrative and web-based functions of the service being shared by

different councils each year and funded by the sale of the Intellectual Property of the concept to other Councils and State Governments.

The future of the service is being evaluated by the steering committee, in light of greater funding needed to update and improve the web platform for instantaneous messaging. There is an opportunity for Byron Shire Council to incorporate the car pool (or ride share) model already operating in the shire into any plans for car sharing and for the services to co-exist or even work in partnership. The Northern Rivers Carpool requires better booking technology (web/app based technology) to be attractive to users/members. This is the kind of technology that commercial car sharing operators could provide. The Northern Rivers Carpool has over 2300 members who are already ‘converts’ to the concept of sharing rides – and quite possibly, sharing rental vehicles.

2.8 What is the future for car sharing and the technology associated with it?

The following extract is an example of what travelling to work in 2025 could look like, according to technology and engineering multinational AECOM:

“In a world where car- and ride-sharing is widespread, commuting to work will look very different to today. Leaving the house in the outer suburbs, a commuter will step immediately into an autonomous six-seat mini-bus. The bus will be scheduled to arrive every weekday at the same time. If a commuter’s schedule changes, another bus will change its route to pick them up. The commuter can also use an app to choose from a variety of other transport types, including small autonomous cars. The app shows the cost of each type of journey.

Stepping into the mini-bus, the commuter will join five commuters, who pay a smaller fee by sharing the ride. The bus has no driver, using a combination of radar, GPS and other sensors to navigate. Along the route, the bus constantly communicates with roadside signs, traffic lights and sensors using V2I technology, learning the location of traffic accidents while being given priority ahead of private cars by traffic lights at intersections. That data will allow it to calculate the optimum route to the nearby train station.

Arriving at the station, the bus will pull up in a drop-off lane, not unlike the departure drop-off at an airport. The commuter will

step out and the vehicle will move off to another booking. When it is no longer required, the vehicle will then find a quiet back street to park, away from congested areas, or even more likely will optimise a route to its next pickup, realising the ideal of maximum vehicle utilisation.”

Source: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/10/sydney-is-a-world-leader-in-car- sharing/

2.9 Who is driving the shared mobility / car sharing trend?

Millennials in urban areas Recent media reports have suggested that millennials in urban areas are driving the car sharing trend - Car-sharing: Young people driving upheaval of Australia’s new industry, report says (by Amy Bainbridge, ABC News online, 28 March 2017).

According to The Economist, ride-sharing, car clubs and other alternatives to ownership are already growing fast. Young city-dwellers are turning their backs on owning a costly asset that sits largely unused and loses value the moment it is first driven. Carmakers insist that such consumers are merely deferring buying a vehicle, pointing to the fact that people continue to drive at an older age than they used to. But the pronouncements of motor-industry bosses suggest that doubts are creeping in. At the 2016 Consumer Electrics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Mark Fields, Ford’s CEO, said that Ford would in future be “both a product and mobility company”5.

5 The Economist, The Driverless, Car Sharing Road Ahead, 9 Jan 2016.

3. The Car Share Industry

There are a handful of car share companies operating within Australia. Go Get was the first company to form in 2003, bringing the concept of car sharing to Australia.

Reach Benefits Challenges

Go Get Sydney a) Company ethos is to a) Undertaking first Melbourne disentivise driving (unlike regional car Adelaide competitors), decrease car share service in Brisbane usage overall, improve air coming months quality, remove cars and (no previous Large regional traffic from local streets, experience centre soon increase patronage of outside of metro public transport. environments)

b) Largest operator with b) Electric cars are longest running not currently experience. viable in car share due to c) Operating in Brisbane problems of back- (2hrs drive from Byron to-back bookings Shire) and range anxiety d) Development Manager was approachable and helpful (see Appendix B – interview).

e) Interested in a trial with Council.

f) For full introduction of service would need 20 cars and anchor tenant to make it viable in regional setting.

g) Can assist with Council car pool alternative.

h) GoGet provides a staff member on the ground with service in new location.

i) Targets 30-40 residential

members per vehicle.

j) Typically, a 10% resident uptake (dependant on public transport and location of vehicles – this percentage is up to 20% in some areas in Sydney) is expected.

k) The capture area of a GoGet car is 250 metres

l) Competitive rates and membership fees.

Green Melbourne a) Predominantly Melbourne a) Melbourne focus, ShareCar Sydney service no regional experience. b) Fleet solutions offer good Canberra (fleet models and improved b) Case Study contract) technology (see Appendix (Appendix A) sets Perth (strata A interview for case study out a range of contract) of Canberra fleet challenges experience at ANU) experienced. Unconfirmed plans to open in Gold c) Manager did not return c) Fees are the Coast, Sunshine any calls or emails. most expensive (see Choice Coast, Brisbane, d) Competitive membership Perth, Adelaide) article fees and rates comparison6)

Hertz 24/7 Sydney a) Renowned for lowest fees a) No underlying (now Gold Goast environmental Flexicar) Melbourne b) Conveniently located at ethos (Flexicar) Gold Coast for Byron Shire.

Popcar Sydney a) Newest company to arrive a) Lack of in this market experience

b) Fresh ideas / new b) Metro only technology experience

6 6 https://www.choice.com.au/transport/cars/general/articles/car-sharing-vs-car- buying

Car sharing is an expanding market with more companies expected to move into this space in the next 18 months. Choice Magazine identifies US car-sharing giant, Zipcar (owned by the Avis Budget group), as likely to make a splash in the Australian market shortly.

4. Car Sharing in the Byron Shire

4.1 Car ownership in Byron Shire aligned with figures for Regional NSW

Like much of regional Australia, with limited public transport provision, Byron Shire’s residents currently rely heavily on their own cars. The following graph illustrates the high percentage of households that own one or more vehicles. Note that Byron’s car ownership sits slightly under the car ownership levels for Regional NSW. Overall, 32.5% of the households owned one car; 33.4% owned two cars; and 14.3% owned three cars or more.

The Shire’s commuting statistics reveal the main modes of transport by which residents get to work. While employment statistics from 2016 Census are yet to be released, the 2011 data reveals 12,625 people living in Byron Shire were employed, of which 46% worked full-time and 51% part time.

4.2 Method of travel to work – car is still king

There are a number of reasons why people use different modes of transport to get to work including the availability of affordable and effective public transport options, the number of motor vehicles available within a household, and the distance travelled to work. The following bar chart illustrates the high proportion of employed people in the Byron Shire travelling to work by car, with the next highest group ‘not going to work’, followed by those ‘working from home’.

4.3 Numbers of people working from home increasing

Interestingly, and of potential significance to the rationale for Car Sharing in the Byron Shire, are the statistics around those who ‘worked from home’ (1564 people) – more than double the number of people who worked from home across Regional NSW. With improvements to technology, and the globalisation of work, Byron Shire and the Northern Rivers are home to a new Australian trend of ‘lifestylepreneurs’ – a term coined in a recent NBN-commissioned report promoted by KPMG demographer, Bernard Salt.7

4.4 Bicycle use also on the rise

While the large majority of Byron Shire’s residents travelled to work by car, the number of people who used their bicycles to get to work was 3 or 4 times that of Regional NSW in 2011. People using bikes and walking to work are one of the key groups likely to use car sharing services at other times.

4.5 Majority of residents live and work in the Shire

Another statistical analysis that may assist in understanding the rationale for car sharing services includes Byron’s Journey to Work data.

This data shows how many residents work locally, and how many commute out of the area and where they commute to. Understanding where Byron Shire's residents go to work assists in planning and advocacy for roads and public transport provision. It

7 Northern Star, Northern Rivers an entrepreneurial hotspot, Jasmine Burke, 22 August 2017.

also helps to clarify the economic and employment drivers across areas and assists in understanding the degree of employment self-containment within Byron Shire.

While Journey to Work data from the 2016 Census has not yet been released, the 2011 Census data reveals that 68% of residents live and work in the Byron Shire, while 20% live in the area but work outside of it.

4.5 Market segmentation – who might use car sharing and why?

Who might use car sharing and why? Which groups and scenarios might be best suited to testing a traditional car sharing service for the purpose of a trial? The following table explores the benefits and issues and may assist Council in identifying a suitable market for car sharing.

Lifestyle description Profile Benefits of Issues including in pilot?

Live and work in town, Working adult/s living Don’t own a car at Use may vary widely don’t need a car (walk in town all so have a or cycle to walk) on a genuine need. Most likely to use when daily basis, but would not at work (dependent like access to a car on nature of work: full- sometimes. time, part-time, casual)

Can’t afford a car, but Working or Opens up a new Will the costs limit use would like to use one unemployed adult/s service to this for this group? (or don’t have a

occasionally licence) group.

Gives greater Use may vary widely autonomy not currently provided Full-time workers may by limited public use more on weekends transport. Unemployed may use May drive under during weeks and 5000km in a year. weekends

Choose not to own a Environmentally Motivated to drive Use may vary widely car for environmental motivated adults. less and share reasons, but would like May already be more. May use for trips to access to a car members of Car Pool work and use outside of occasionally services Understand the work concept and will advocate for the advantages

May use car share and car pool services together

Own a car but may need Couples Motivated by Use may vary widely access to a second car savings from not at specific times, or Families having to buy a May use for trips even a third (or more) second (or third) outside of work time cars car. only

May need access to a All groups Motivated by a Use may vary widely utility, van, truck (for particular need i.e. moving or driving the - moving house Needs may tie in more team to soccer) - need a people with out of work mover for the activities weekend - need a station wagon

Visiting Byron Shire All tourists Currently limited If visitors are not car rental options members of the car in Byron Shire share company, they would have to sign up Visitors who are to access the vehicle already members and qualify for of car sharing membership. schemes in their home towns would Not all car share schemes endorse

benefit international drivers.

Substantial costs Some age restrictions savings to be may apply. enjoyed (as opposed to car hire by the day)

Perfect for day trips to the villages and further afield

Want access to a luxury Tourists Not currently NA car offered by major Workers Australian car Weddings/Events share companies

All groups, on Could be a market occasion to consider in the future

Council Management Car share vehicles Shifting mentality of a can be used by the resistant business Council wanting car Council staff wider community culture can be difficult share for fleet management Giving back to community

4.6 Costs for users

A recent Choice Magazine article, Car Sharing vs Car Buying, highlights the finding that car sharing gives users an insight into the ‘real costs’ of a car trip that aren’t apparent and often aren’t even considered once you’ve purchased a car. It reveals that there are substantial cost savings involved in car sharing, particularly if you’re driving less than 5000km a year. The reality in a regional setting is that many people in the Byron Shire commute substantial distances for work purposes and would drive well in excess of 5000km.

10,000km per year 5000km per year 2500km per year 1250km per year

192.3km and 20 96km with 10 48km with 5 24km with 2.5 hours' driving time hours' driving hours' driving hours' driving each week time each week time each week time each week

Ownership* $537.47 $468.27 $433.66 $416.36

GoGet $857.55 $444.31 $237.70 $134.39

GreenShareCar $1042.38 $522.82 $263.03 $143.98

Hertz 24/7 $858 $429 $214.50 $107.25

Flexicar $781.50 $393.67 $199.75 $119.58

*Ownership figures take into account set running costs such as depreciation, interest on a car loan, insurance and registration as well as per kilometre costs like servicing and repairs, tyres and fuel. If you pay for the car outright, running costs will be less.

4.7 How does Car Share insurance work?

Much like a rental car, a car share service will have an excess anywhere from $1200 to $2000, which users can pay to reduce. Depending on the company, you can pay $1.50 to $2 per hour with a daily cap to reduce the excess to either $0 or $300.

Each company presents their insurance information differently, and it is really a case of consumer beware. Liability rests with the user, each time you get in the car. When you car share you are responsible for assessing if there's any damage before you get into the car. Unless you contact the company to tell them about any issues before you drive off, you'll be liable for any damage that occurs.

A good rule of thumb is to ask your car share company for a copy of their policy disclosure statement. Unfortunately this information is not readily available for members via the car share websites. The policy disclosure statement will give valuable advice because if the insurer doesn't accept the claim, you'll be responsible for the full cost of repairs and potentially lost profit while the car is off the road.

The main scenarios in which you won't be covered when it comes to a car share are if you:

• let someone else drive the car

• drive with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit

• put the wrong fuel type into the car

• drive off-road

• don't inform the car share company of changes to your driving record

• cause damage intentionally or as a result of negligence

• damage the windscreen

• breach the terms and conditions.

Some companies don't provide personal accident cover, which could leave you out of pocket if you injure yourself.

5. What other councils are doing: Case studies

5.1 CASE STUDY: of the former Marrickville Council (now Inner West Council)

Car share operators: GoGet

Peer-to-peer: Car Next Door – advertised on website

Number of car share vehicles: 110

Policy: Marrickville Car Share Policy

Marrickville has a ‘holistic’ approach to encouraging more sustainable modes of travel and reducing over-dependency on the private car. At last count by GoGet In March 2016, Marrickville had 4,000+ members (including 800 business members) and 110 GoGets. Marrickville has now merged into the Inner West Council with 146 GoGets vehicles, according to GoGet’s Development Manager.

“Part of what helped make car sharing a success at Marrickville was the fact that Council itself is was a member of a local car share organisation and had already installed dedicated car share spaces in some of its car parks; encouraging members of staff to leave their cars at home and travel by more sustainable modes – which shows a commitment to leading by example.”

This is an example of a council demonstrating leadership by Key encouraging staff to leave cars at home and travel by more sustainable Finding modes.

5.2 CASE STUDY: Northern Sydney Council

Car share operators: GoGet and Popcar.

Peer-to-peer: Not advertised by council

Policy: North Sydney Car Share Policy

All of the Car Share vehicles parked on North Sydney streets are open to general community membership, and local residents make up the bulk of members and trips made in these cars. There are approximately 3500 resident members and 1500 business members currently in North Sydney Local Government Area (LGA) using the car share services.

Feedback from residents indicates that people commonly use these cars in place of purchasing their own private vehicle or a second private vehicle. In this regard, car sharing has the potential to provide benefit to the community as a whole and not just members in that it can:

• Reduce overall private vehicle ownership and therefore the net demand for on-street parking on North Sydney streets allow one parking space/vehicle to cater for a number of residents reduce traffic congestion caused by people 'cruising' to find parking provide a transport option for those in the community who don't or can't own their own car.

• Data sourced from membership surveys of existing car share members suggest that car sharing currently reduces the demand for on-street car parking spaces by 1139 spaces across North Sydney LGA.

North Sydney Car Share Policy sets out two key objectives:

1) To provide on-street and off-street parking opportunities for Car Share groups, in balance with competing parking demands in the North Sydney local government area.

2) To support the regional transport objectives and strategies that are aimed at encouraging the use of public transport, and reducing private motor vehicle ownership, which will in turn decrease parking demands, congestion, fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.

North Sydney has two operators and around 5000 members using car Key share services. North Sydney’s car share policy sets out to encourage Findings the use of public transport and reduce private motor vehicle ownership.

5.3 Case Study: City of Port Phillip

Car share operators: Flexicar, GreenShareCar, GoGet and Popcar.

Peer-to-peer: CarNextDoor

Number of car share vehicles: 100

Policy Car Share Policy 2016 to 2021

The City of Port Phillip is explicit about its vision for car sharing and last year (2016) adopted its Car Share Policy setting the strategic direction and procedures for car sharing in the LGA to 2021.

“Don’t buy a car - share a car with your neighbours. Car sharing has taken the world by storm and is operating in over 600 cities. Car sharing members have access to cars on demand for use either by the hour or by the day and have no parking hassles when they're finished. The usage cost covers all expenses, including petrol, insurance, registration and maintenance. People who drive less than 5,000 km per year will likely find car sharing will save them money.”

This council has also developed its own animation for their website to explain how car sharing works in the City of Port Phillip. Clever communications idea.

Key City of Port Phillip has developed clever web-based marketing tools to advertise its support for car sharing. Their community can access all Findings the major commercial operators and peer-to-peer through Car Next Door. Their policy is set within a four year timeframe, giving a clear indication of when it will next be reviewed.

6. Decoupling car and home ownership

6.1. Decoupling car and home ownership

The concept of ‘car free development’ is a trend that is driven by the need to use urban land more efficiently amid the rising cost of development and the need for more sustainable and affordable buildings that offer housing diversity and density close to services and jobs.

“We struggle to find accommodation for homeless people in Australia and yet we continue to provide valuable space, often garaged, for our cars. This deserves to be challenged.”8

The notion that every new apartment built must have a set number of ancillary car parks is being challenged on multiple fronts by urban designers, architects, developers and ultimately apartment buyers across Australia.

More residential developments in larger towns and cities, particularly high and medium density, are acting on walkability or the transit-oriented development ethos. Developers are promoting active transport or public transport usage by not offering car parking spaces for many – or even any – of their apartments. The trade-off is that they’re providing parking spaces for scooters, motorbikes and bicycles, as well as free Vespa scooters for buyers and car-sharing services.

Councils are enabling this through local planning provisions that allow car parking reductions or car free residential development in appropriate locations.

Due to the lack of frequent and reliable public transport in Byron Shire, it is acknowledged that optional car parking for development will only be suited to specific locations within walking or cycling distance to centres that provide jobs and services for the day to day needs of residents.

This chapter summarises examples from around Australia on the trend for reducing ancillary car parks in new development may relate to demand for car share. It then describes how the current planning framework in NSW can enable Council to achieve similar outcomes in Byron Shire.

New South Wales.9

Many of Australand’s Discovery Point apartments in inner-city Sydney have no car parking. According to online real estate website Domain, these apartments sold out fast, as more people want to use public transport, bikes or car-sharing services, rather than paying for the additional premium car parking rate that only adds to the apartment’s price.

8 Council Urban Designer and Planner - P. Docherty

9 http://www.curtisassociates.com.au/articles/car-park-trend-rise-apartments/

Furthermore, car-sharing company GoGet will also be having a number of vehicles based at the development. This is part of the approach that Frasers Property and Sekisui House have undertaken at One Central Park. Over half of the 1,000 apartments sold at the development had no car parking, and the biggest car-share pod in Sydney was also established on the site.

Victoria10

Not all apartments in Melbourne are required to have car parking spaces.11 The City of Melbourne stated that the 2010 planning scheme amendment C133 doesn’t allow onsite car parking spaces, but one car parking space is allowed per apartment in a development with more than four storeys.

Radio Consultants undertook a demographic and accessibility analysis for the City of Melbourne, and it was decided that areas affected by the amendment “are equally suitable for such a maximum car parking rate”. The reason being is that the affected areas have good access to public transport and other amenities. Furthermore, car parking spaces add to the cost of new apartments. An amendment to the Melbourne Planning Scheme is a response to the market demand for apartments with no or minimal car parking.

The City of Port Phillip in Melbourne also has a sustainable parking policy. For residential land uses, 0-0.8 car spaces are allowed per one-bedroom apartment, and 1 car space for a three-bedroom (or more) apartments. For office land uses, 2-3 car spaces per 100sqm are allowed for unshared parking, while 2-2.8 car spaces per 100sqm are allowed for shared parking.

The policy considers how close the apartments are to public transport and local amenities, car-sharing programs, and sustainable transport infrastructure contributions in regards to reduced parking rates.

The recently publicised case of the Nightingale model, Nightingale 1 apartments, is due to be completed November 201 at the time of research.12 Under this model, the architect/developer, Breathe Architects, decided to change more than just the design rules:

“Typically, developers share profit and loss figures with investors but not with buyers, whose pre-purchase information is usually confined to a glossy sales brochure. As architect and developer, McLeod wanted to share all his calculations with both groups – everything from construction and land costs to design fees and equity investor margins.”

Disclosing specific costs had interesting consequences. Parking spots for Nightingale

10 http://www.curtisassociates.com.au/articles/car-park-trend-rise-apartments/

11 https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/urbanism/planning/no-car-parking-the-hot-new- trend/68029

12 http://www.theage.com.au/good-weekend/the-innercity-apartment-revolution-think-rooftop- vegie-patches-and-beehives-20170823-gy2boh.html

1 were priced at $35,000 each. When given a choice, all 20 of those lined up to buy an apartment said they didn't need one. En-suites came in at $12,000, and would mean sacrificing seven square metres from the living room. No one wanted that, either. When it was explained it would keep prices down, everyone said yes to shared laundry facilities, too…

The proposed removal of parking spaces pitted Nightingale 1 against the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. After an expensive delay, the project won the case in late 2014, with planning permission granted. In decoupling car and home ownership, Nightingale went on to set a new precedent in the state's planning codes… [and] the VCAT woes helped, galvanising support among sustainability campaigners.

Queensland13

Serra Property Group gave buyers free Vespas for its 10 one-bedroom apartments that were sold with no car parking on 38 High Street, Toowong. They also provided scooter parking, a 12-month scooter registration, plus helmets.

Place Projects’ spokesman Bruce Goddard, who also marketed the development, said that the development is situated in a public transport hub so residents won’t need a car. There’s a bus stop 10 metres away, a train station 50 metres away, and the CityCat is 500 metres away. Toowong is also an inner-city suburb, located only a few kilometres from the Brisbane CBD.

Brisbane Housing Corporation’s Oxenham Apartments in Nundah has 67 apartments and no car parking. The apartments are affordable, and there are train and bus stops 400m away.

South Australia14

A medium-density apartment complex in Adelaide, Vespa Apartments on Storr Street, adopted the “no car park” trend back in 2011. Considering that it’s situated 500m from the CBD and there’s a bus station 100m away, only motorbike parking was provided for the seven apartments.

NSW Planning Controls - Relationship of Private Car Parking and Car Sharing

Local Government Planning Controls - Councils in NSW usually regulate car parking rates associated with new development through a Development Control Plan (DCP). Councils that seek additional regulations to manage excessive levels of ancillary car parking may also include local provisions in the Local Environmental Plan (LEP). LEP provisions prevail over a DCP because they are a legal instrument.

13 http://www.curtisassociates.com.au/articles/car-park-trend-rise-apartments/

14 http://www.curtisassociates.com.au/articles/car-park-trend-rise-apartments/

City of Sydney has set a legal precedent in the Sydney LEP 201215 to limit the amount of car parking that is ancillary to other development under a standard instrument LEP. City of Sydney specifies the maximum number of car parking spaces that may be provided to service particular uses to minimise the amount of vehicular traffic generated by development

City of Sydney planning provisions still allow a car parking space for the exclusive use of vehicles belonging to a car share scheme. Sydney LEP defines car share:

car share scheme means a scheme in which a body corporate, an unincorporated body or a public authority owns or manages and maintains vehicles for shared or communal use and hires those vehicles exclusively to members of the scheme for occasional use for short periods of time, on demand and on a pay-as-you go basis.

6.2 State Environmental Planning Policy

State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) provisions sit above Council planning controls. SEPP No 65 - Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development applies standards to development including mixed use development and shop top housing where the development is three or more storeys and contains four or more dwellings.

NSW Government Practice Note – Car Parking Requirements in SEPP 6516 provides technical notes on how parking requirements in the Apartment Design Guide (ADG17) should be determined in relation to the availability, frequency and convenience of public transport, or proximity to a centre in regional areas.

The ADG applies controls to new apartment developments located in metro areas of Sydney (within close proximity of a railway station or light rail stop) or regional centres including Ballina - nominated based on their status under the relevant regional strategies.

In these locations the ADG nominates the parking ratios identified in the Guide to Traffic Generating Developments, or the car parking requirement prescribed by the relevant council, whichever is less.

The ADG does not set any parking requirements for other locations in Sydney or regional NSW. In these areas, car parking requirements continue to be set by the relevant council.

15 https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/EPI/2012/628/part7/div1

16 http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/~/media/72B2BB114A32434099A6C53A1CCB4888.ashx

17 http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Policy-and- Legislation/Housing/~/media/2D1E3E6B70DB41AFB6951F80CFD938AC.ashx

Byron Bay Town Centre could be suitable for some level of ‘car free’ development in relation to location and organisation of parking considering site constraints, local context, apartment types, regulatory car parking requirements and feasibility.

The ADG provides useful guidelines to promote a reduction in car dependency and encourage walking, cycling and use of public transport including provision of parking for alternative forms of transport such as car share; motorcycles and bicycles should also be considered. Councils also need to continue to regulate on street parking effectively. It recommends that where less car parking is provided in buildings, councils should not provide on street resident parking permits.

This change is significant in that it recognises and reflects the growing move away from driving as a worldwide phenomenon18.

The SEPP 65 review recognised it [car parking] was a significant cost that was passed on to buyers and a growing number of apartment residents were taking advantage of public or active transport, leading to less of a need for car parking. This reduced car parking improves local traffic management and had associated health benefits

“Data from the NSW Bureau of Transport Statistics presents a marked reduction in licence-holding among those aged 35 years and younger (the percentage of 25 year olds holding a licence dropped from 84 per cent in 1998 to 74 per cent in 2009),” a government release said. “Fewer licence holders are associated with higher levels of public transport use, walking and cycling.”

“The [SEPP 65] planning policy specifically identifies standards that cannot be used as grounds to refuse development consent including ceiling height, apartment areas and car parking provisions…. The minimum requirements still allow more parking if the market supports this.”

7. Research Findings

Key points to arise from this research include:

• For every car share used, around 10 cars are taken off the road.

• Both traditional car sharing and peer-to-peer car sharing services are growing in patronage in Australia, particularly within cities and metropolitan areas.

• In Europe and the USA, the car share industry is large and expanding with point-to-point services. Helsinki, is claiming it will transform its existing public transport network into a comprehensive, point-to-point “mobility on demand”

18 http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/urbanism/planning/parking-could-be-optional-for-some- apartments-near-rail/67884)

system by 2025 – one that, in theory, would be so good that nobody would have any reason to own a car19.

• Autonomous vehicles will be arriving in Australia soon and there is an array of research and forecasting looking at how autonomy and the share economy will converge to provide driverless vehicles ‘on demand’ in the future.

• Car sharing can be more cost effective than ownership of a car. This is particularly true if you live in a city and if you drive less than 5000km per year.

• A majority of LGAs in central Melbourne and Sydney now have car share schemes and many are underpinned by sustainable transport strategies and Car Share Policies. Car Sharing is expanding in Brisbane, Adelaide and possibly other cities soon. GoGet is moving into Newcastle in coming months (end 2017).

• In these cities, changes to strategic planning are shaping new ways of thinking about the necessity for a private car and car parking located within new development; particularly where residents, workers and tenants have good access to housing in mixed use buildings that are close to shops and services.

• The option to share vehicles for occasional essential trips over longer distances is an attractive alternative to owning and maintaining a private car.

Byron Shire Council has already invested in a number of sustainable transport initiatives over the last decade that meet similar objectives to those of car sharing.

A pilot would enable Council to build on its ongoing investment in alternative sustainable transit options. It would be one of the first regional LGAs to implement a car sharing trial with a commercial provider – demonstrating leadership.

There is also an opportunity for Council to consider how it uses its own car pool could be used more efficiently, and to align with the existing Northern Rivers Car Pool; and to maximise the use and benefit of the Council owned Electric Vehicle and charging station.

A pilot would enable Council to explore new approaches to car sharing (with the providers) to explore what works and what doesn’t work in a regional area and why. This will provide valuable research and inspire new ways of thinking about Byron Shire’s current dependence on car ownership.

19 www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jul/10/helsinki-shared-public-transport-plan-car- ownership-pointless

8. Recommendations / Next Steps

There are a number of options (and combination of options) in terms of next steps:

3) Conduct a pilot for a trial period of 1-2 years involving a combination of various models of car sharing, if deemed feasible, such as traditional, peer- to-peer and social enterprise/not for profit. Develop criteria to measure the success or otherwise of the pilot to establish what works and what doesn’t.

6) Any pilot should be cognisant of the existing Northern Rivers Carpool scheme to compliment or extend its functionality.

The objectives of a pilot would be to test and measure a range of outcomes:

• Gauge the level of interest from community members in regards to principles and potential impacts of a car share scheme

• Evaluate impacts and opportunities of car sharing and determine options for potentially promoting car sharing in the Byron Shire on a permanent basis.

• Review Council’s policy position as a result of any lessons learned from the pilot. Decide whether to proceed with a commercial partnership/s for car sharing. Assess the viability of managing car sharing as a function of council at this point as part of the process.

9. APPENDICES

Appendix A - GreenShareCar This car share company is ‘born in Melbourne, for Melbournians’ and it has a large number of share cars across Melbourne.

In addition to this, GreenShareCar has an exclusive fleet solution happening at a University in Canberra. Although its promotional material refers to cars and fleets across Australia, it only currently operates its car share service for individuals in Melbourne.

“Owning a car in Melbourne can be a huge challenge. Why stress? Rent cars by the hour from GreenShareCar and get free petrol, insurance and parking on return.”

The company does offers a range of different rate plans for individual users, offers vehicles for all occasions, from sedans, 4WD, vans and buses. It also offers a suite of ‘fleet solutions’ to meet the needs of various market segments including Strata (property developers), Executive (a premium service for private organisations and government), QuickFleet (a budget service for private organisation and government).

GreenShareCar has not responded to Byron Shire Council’s requests for further information from the company about the potential of a trial in Byron Shire. However, it was revealed that GreenShareCar have the contract with ANU for their car share service.

GreenShareCar CASE STUDY: ANU Carshare

In June, 2016, ANU began its car share service with provider GreenCarShare.

ANU’s GREENCARSHARE EXPERIENCE

Interview with Neil Ross (14/09/2017) ANU Carshare support and operations

https://services.anu.edu.au/campus-environment/transport-parking/anu-carshare- scheme

“ANU began the process 2 years ago because the university had 40 pool cars sitting around doing nothing. The University ran a tender process and selected one of the major players.

Some things we’ve learned include that we overestimated usage of the vehicles. So it has cost us money after a year and a half.

We love the concept, the idea of car sharing, and how it words is great, but we had many problems with the 2G technology.

However, some of the technology is quite amazing. Now our provider can unlock the car remotely if there is a problem. They can also start the car remotely – this was a big thing. Because what many people going into these schemes won’t realise is that the cars need to be started (turned over) regularly and if they’re not regularly used there is a battery issue. What this has meant, over the last year for me, is that I’ve had to go around to the underused cars and access them and physically turn them over myself.

We’ve also had some issues with the insurance policy. We ended up taking out a blanket insurance on behalf of all of the students so we didn’t have to deal with the problem’s of the provider’s insurer.

Despite the problems the university still supports its car share policy. The students love it. The international students also have access to the cars and love it. It’s a great idea.”

Appendix B - GoGet Founded in 2003 by directors Nic Lowe and Bruce Jeffreys, GoGet’s aim is to provide a reliable, convenient and affordable transport service that:

• allows people to live car-free

• decreases car usage

• improves local air quality

• removes private cars from local streets

• increases patronage for public transport

• allows people to lead more active lives (Source: www.goget.com.au)

GoGet is operated by CarShare Australia, formed to bring car sharing services to Australia. The company has developed a range of business and IT systems that enable the delivery of consulting, technical services and the provision of on-the- ground car share facilities.

Here is a snapshot of their rates:

GoGet PHONE INTERVIEW WITH DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Dr Chris Varnesse

“Unlike other car share companies, we disentivise driving,” says development manager Christopher Varnnese. “Our goal is to have less cars on the road, not more.

To make it financially viable, Christopher says a minimum number of 20 cars is required plus an anchor tenant such as a university, council or other major employer.

“GoGet needs staff to clean, and maintain the vehicles, thus we need a minimum number of cars to start a new area outside of our network to make it financially viable.”

GoGet typically targets 30-40 residential members per vehicle. Typically, they expect around a 10% resident uptake (dependant on public transport and location of vehicles – this percentage is up to 20% in some areas in Sydney). The capture area of a GoGet car is 250 metres.

GoGet recommends 1 GoGet car for every 20 apartments without parking in DA controls (helps with housing affordability). This would be possible in a regional location like Byron Bay according to Chris due to the walkability of the town.

As for electric cars, Chris says that full electric cars are not currently viable in car share due to problems of back-to-back bookings and range anxiety. The range anxiety element of this barrier could be overcome by a current effort underway to install electric vehicle charge stations through the Byron shire and the Northern Rivers. ------

Accidental Lessons in Fleet Management, My Business magazine, interview with GoGet founder Bruce Jeffreys provides the example of GoGet working with Optus at one of their business park locations (a similar scenario to GoGet working with BSC providing fleet management.

“What Optus could offer were parking spots and the commitment that these cars would be used. In Optus’ case, we also arranged for a pre-paid driving credit, a sort of car subsidy model. In a sense we were selling Optus an Optus product, a pre-paid service, but in the form of a car, not a phone.

“That experience and those that have followed taught us that corporate culture needs to make the shift for car share to work for fleet management. Rather than locking up those fleet cars, car share means that they can be used by the wider community, so businesses can get fleet benefits while also giving something back. It’s easy to check off the system-based advantages of car share for fleet management. What’s difficult is shifting the mentality of a resistant business culture. Optus made that shift, other businesses are still contemplating it.” GoGet Founder, Bruce Jeffreys.

GoGet’s involvement with Electric Vehicle hub: Moreland City Council

Electric vehicle hub launched in Coburg

July 23, 2013 Written by Urbanalyst

MELBOURNE'S inner-north is set to become a key testing ground for widespread electric vehicle (EV) use in Victoria, with the launch of an electric vehicle hub that includes one of Victoria's first fast-charging stations and an EV for public hire.

Public Transport and Roads Minister Terry Mulder said the government recognised the long- term benefits that EVs will provide for the state's transport system and environment and has invested nearly $50,000 in the creation of Moreland City Council's new electric vehicle hub in Coburg.

"Moreland City Council is providing the necessary infrastructure to encourage Victorians to use electric vehicles and make it accessible and convenient, which will encourage more people to choose this sustainable transport option," Mr Mulder said.

"The Coalition Government is proud to have funded the $38,000 fast-charger included in the hub, which allows an EV to be charged in around 30 minutes instead of overnight. This facility is another milestone in Victoria's evolving EV charging network and an important step towards the State's sustainable transport future."

Mr Mulder said the government's $5 million Electric Vehicle Trial played a key role facilitating and investing in the new electric vehicle hub. He said the Coburg project was a great example of how the Electric Vehicle Trial is providing the foundations of an emerging marketplace for electric vehicles in Victoria and Australia.

The Minister said Moreland City Council initially participated in the Electric Vehicle Trial by trialling an EV in their staff car fleet for six months, which provided the momentum for them to grow their involvement in the sustainable transport space and create the newly-launched hub.

"The project brings together the Victorian Coalition Government, Moreland City Council, ChargePoint, GoGet, Toyota, the local community and businesses to share information, promote discussion and foster industry development," Mr Mulder said.

More information about the Victorian Electric Vehicle Trial is available from the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure website at .

Appendix C – Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing

Interview with Kate Trumbell, Car Next Door

As with traditional car share services, peer-to-peer services like Car Next Door offer free petrol (via a petrol card – although it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that there’s a quarter of a tank of petrol when the car is dropped off), cover insurance for accidents and damage (though there is a lot of fine print. Users are charged by the kilometre.

Platforms such as Car Next Door claim that you can make up to $7000 a year from renting your idle vehicle.

“Let your car earn its keep. Rent it out by the hour or day to our community of trusted drivers. Your car is fully insured, with 24/7 roadside assistance and support from our friendly local team. Earning money from your idle car is simple and safe.” (source: www.carnextdoor.com.au)

To join Car Next Door and rent your car out to others, your vehicle must meet certain criteria, listed below. The vehicle needs to be located in an eligible location and at the moment that includes Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle (though Newcastle hasn’t worked and may be removed as a location). Kate Trumbell (Government Relations Manager) from Car Next Door says that the company is expanding into Canberra and Perth next. With the recent failure of Newcastle, other regional centres are not a high priority for Car Next Door. However Ms Trumbell says she is happy to discuss the possibility of a trial with Byron Shire, given the uniqueness of the LGA.

“What we found in Newcastle is that we had plenty of people on the supply side, but little demand for use of the vehicles available. When it’s difficult to get around without a car, people can justify the need and expense of a car and therefore car sharing doesn’t work because everyone has access to a vehicle. There’s not enough demand to justify the service.”

What could make this equation different for somewhere like Byron Shire is the potentially high supply of vehicles and demand driven by a number of factors that are particular to Byron Shire: - A community with strong environmental values who may be motivated to use car sharing services if they could. - An ability to communicate effectively with the local community (2 local papers, Bay FM, ABC Radio, local TV, spokespeople including the Mayor etc). - Council could invest in a marketing campaign to assist in promoting peer- to-peer car sharing (a critical factor in success according to Kate Trumbell).