Neighbor to neighbour car sharing has just become a whole lot easier with a new no-commitment scheme rolling out in regional NSW and Victoria before it becomes available across the country.
Making it easier for Aussies to earn a little extra cash in the sharing economy, Australia’s largest peer to peer network, Car Next Door has just launched a new system where neighbours can rent their vehicles out by the hour or day, with no equipment to install and no changes to insurance.
The typical regional household spends $14,633 a year on getting around, up $165 from the previous quarter; with city counterparts shelling out $18,222 and transport rising at twice the rate of inflation, according to the latest
What does this new offering from Car Next Door hope to change?
Car Next Door CEO and co-founder Will Davies says the new Key Handover system is an Australian first and means car sharing will become widely available to those living in the outer suburbs and regional and remote towns.
“With our current car-sharing model, we set the car up as a share car by installing our tech into the car and covering it under our insurance for all drivers – the owner and any borrowers. This is great for people who want to share their car often, as each booking happens without the owner having to do anything.
“With Key Handover, there’s no equipment installed, and the owner keeps their own insurance. Instead of using our tech, the owner and borrower just meet to exchange keys and report distance and tolls through the app,” said
“Our insurance will cover the car only during a borrower’s booking. Owners will keep their own insurance to cover their car whenever it’s not rented out. This will cut the biggest cost to us in having a car listed on the platform for sharing.
“Not having our in-car technology means a little more time is required from the owner (exchanging keys, reporting distance and tolls), but the trade-off is no membership fees, no availability requirement and a different commission structure – all making it attractive to cars outside the big metropolis where car sharing is now common practice.
“Everything is still safely regulated, but this makes car sharing a lot easier for those that do it on a more casual basis. It allows us to bring neighbour-to-neighbour car-sharing to more areas quickly and cost-effectively – making it possible for more owners to rent out their cars just occasionally, such as when they go away for holidays, or where the current system isn’t suitable or available for them.
“This also means more choice for borrowers, better access to cars and more cars available. We’re starting by piloting the program across Victoria and New South Wales, including Geelong, Byron Bay and The Sutherland Shire. In the next six months we expect to see over 2,000 cars listed for sharing.”
What exactly does this platform do?
Launched in 2012, Car Next Door is on a mission to free people and the planet from the ‘one person, one car’ mentality. By connecting car owners with trusted borrowers in their local community, Car Next Door empowers people to save money, reduce waste and build
Car owners can rent their car, van or ute out when they are not using it, through Car Next Door’s secure online platform. Automated key exchange, payments, tolls, insurance, roadside and 24-hour member support are handled by Car Next Door, making it simple and safe for people to make better use of the millions of idle cars around Australia.
