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 COPYRIGHT - Byron Shire Council - 1 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. COPYRIGHT - Byron Shire Council - 2 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 COPYRIGHT - Byron Shire Council - 3 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/ COPYRIGHT - Byron Shire Council - 4 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