Car Sharing
In July 2015 Council approved Vincent’s Car Sharing Policy, which makes us the second local government in WA after the City of Fremantle to invite in car sharing.
What is car sharing?
Car sharing is an affordable and sustainable alternative to private vehicle ownership, in which a network of shared vehicles in convenient locations is accessible for use by car share members 24/7.
How does it work?
- Take out a membership
- Receive a unique swipe card that lets you access share vehicles
- Locate and book a nearby vehicle via website, app or phone call
- Use the vehicles for anything from less than an hour to a whole day
- Return the vehicle to its designated space for the next person to use
- Repeat as required
Where is car sharing happening already?
Car sharing is well established in major cities throughout Europe and North America. As well as in Melbourne and Sydney. It is estimated that 15% of households in the City of Sydney are now car share members.
Why do we want it?
Car sharing offers many benefits to both car share members and to the wider community. These include:
- Significant financial savings compared to owning a private vehicle
- More efficient use of parking space
- Reduced traffic congestion
- Reduced air pollution
- Improved community safety, health and well-being
For more details refer to our Car Sharing Policy
What are our expectations?
Now that we have a Car Sharing Policy to guide the approval of car share providers and the allocation of car share spaces, it is expected that one or more car share providers will move into the city and establish car sharing schemes.
Such schemes will provide convenient access to a range of late-model vehicles with high safety and environmental standards.
Vehicles will be located walking distance apart in designated cars share spaces to ensure that if one vehicle is unavailable for booking, an alternative will be available nearby.
The City will require car share operators to structure their schemes to complement rather than compete with public and active transport, so that trips in share cars displace trips in privately owned vehicles rather than trips on buses and bicycles.
It is expected that each share-car will take 12 privately owned vehicles off the road and that membership will grow to around 10% of Vincent households.
What next?
The City welcomes applications from prospective car share providers and will support car sharing schemes by:
- Allocating public parking bays as dedicated car share spaces; and
- Granting development approvals to private developments for on-site car share spaces.
For more information about car sharing in the City of Vincent, please contact Sustainability Officer Anita Marriott on 9273 6013 or email: anita.marriott@vincent.wa.gov.au
Further information for car share providers:
Approval of Car Share Providers
Allocation of Car Share Spaces
Car Sharing Policy