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The City of Melbourne has taken the lead nationally in its support for car share, with the introduction this week of 21 on-street car share bays in the heart of Melbourne CBD.
Melbourne has leap-frogged Sydney, who until now, had been experiencing much higher growth in car share vehicles and membership than Melbourne. City of Sydney does not actively support car share in its CBD, which, according to GreenShareCar CEO Paul Cummaudo, disenfranchised both its city residents and businesses.
“Sydney’s CBD business community contributes a significant portion of council’s revenue directly through rates and indirectly through employment and attracting visitors. With the State Parking Levy doubling to $2,000 pa (which is aimed at improving levels of sustainable transport), Sydney CBD businesses and residents have two bitter pills to swallow – some of the most expensive parking rates in the world and no support by their council for alternatives like car share”. The irony according to Cummaudo, is that car share neatly fits the bill as a sustainable transport solution, but is not exempt from the State Parking Levy.
The City of Melbourne’s support, in contrast, has gone beyond allocating prime public street spaces, to sending out thousands of letters to its business community, informing them of the new CBD service.
Their letter communicates an aspiration that this initiative will benefit “inner city residents who do not own a car” and that “city workers who currently drive to/from work each day… will experience increased flexibility and reduced private car dependency”.
GreenShareCar is quietly confident that it can become the leading provider of car share services to both CBD businesses and consumers. According to Paul Cummaudo, GreenShareCar is the only car share operator specifically focused on the needs of the CBD market. For instance, it’s the only operator to offer capped rates for overnight and weekend use – pick-up the nearest car to your office at 5pm and return at 8 am the next working morning. Members can book outside of these hours and will simply be charged the normal hourly rate for excess time. These rates start at $41 for a Yaris for a night or $158 for a Yaris for a weekend, including 100 kms, fuel, insurance and reserved parking! Prius’ are also offered.
GreenShareCar has deployed 7 brand new Toyota Prius in the CBD on major thoroughfares such as Collins, Bourke and Elizabeth Streets. This brings its city network to 18 cars within 2 km of the CBD centre.
Paul Cummaudo is also proud of his company’s Australian Tax Office ruling on Fringe Benefits Tax, which will satisfy any CFO that GreenShareCar does not attract FBT for staff use of the cars.
Cummaudo believes that consumers and businesses alike will warm to this new age service – especially when they become a national company ("within two years"). This would give a Melbourne businessman or traveler the ability to book a car in any capital city by smartphone and be off and running within 5 minutes. No more queues, forms or other car rental foibles.
Lets hope other capital cities are as supportive as Melbourne in allocating city parking bays!
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New Melbourne CBD locations
Collins Place, Collins Str
333 Collins Str
Russell Str, before Bourke Str
Russell Str, corner Lonsdale Str
209 Elizabeth Str
Bourke Str, corner William Str
Lonsdale Str, Corner William Str
See map
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