Car share services a game changer for central Auckland residents Car share services a game changer for central Auckland residents

Today’s launch of the Mevo car share service gives central Auckland residents another compelling alternative to the cost and hassle of car ownership.

Mayor Phil Goff says car share services like Mevo are giving Aucklanders greater transport choice and will play an increasingly important role in helping to reduce the city’s transport emissions.

“Auckland Transport on behalf of Auckland Council has worked closely with car share providers like Mevo, Cityhop and Zilch, enabling them to operate in Auckland through AT’s car share and parking policies,” he says.

“Although these car share operators all have different business models and approaches, they share and contribute to our goal of creating more transport options for Aucklanders so we can reach our climate ambitions. There’s no doubt that enabling Aucklanders to step away from individual private car ownership will aid in that.

“The growth of car share services supports the huge investment we’re making in public transport to provide reliable, efficient and sustainable alternatives to private vehicle ownership.”

Auckland Transport’s On-Street Car Share Policy was developed in 2019 to encourage operators like Mevo to join the Auckland market, leading to greater competition and providing even more choice for Aucklanders.

Research shows that each car share vehicle introduced in cities like Auckland can replace between three and fifteen private vehicles which would otherwise be competing for scarce space on our roads and carparks, both on and off-street.

AT Group Manager Parking Services and Compliance John Strawbridge says it’s encouraging to see Mevo’s launch in Auckland, which was enabled by AT’s Car Share Policy.

“The rise of car share services is giving Aucklanders, especially those in the central city, a really viable alternative to private car ownership,” Mr Strawbridge says.

“Private cars sit unused up to 95% of the time, collecting dust and costing a fortune in insurance and compliance costs, not to mention the rising cost of fuel.”

“The vehicles used by Auckland’s car share operators tend to be newer and more efficient than the overall vehicle fleet, so the rise of these services is a win-win for our environment and Aucklanders who still occasionally need to use cars.”