Coronavirus Melbourne: Commuters move to car share over public transport
Melburnians without a car have flocked to car-sharing services as they look to avoid public transport due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Melburnians without a car have flocked to car-sharing services since the start of the coronavirus pandemic as they look to avoid public transport over safety fears.
Car-sharing company Popcar – a members-based service with about 60 vehicles in Melbourne – said it had experienced a surge in both the frequency and length of bookings since the start of March.
The average time one of their SUVs has been booked for in Victoria has more than quadrupled from six hours in March to 27 hours in May.
The company said usage of their vehicles had also increased by 16 per cent in the same period, while its active membership in Victoria spiked 12 per cent in May.
Due to the soaring demand for car sharing, Popcar added an extra nine vehicles to its fleet in Carlton last month.
General manager Kristy Wells said customer behaviour was likely being driven by non-car owners wanting to avoid using public transport and ride sharing during the pandemic.
“In recent months, we’ve seen a broader shift in consumer preference towards our car-sharing service as a result of the measures in place around COVID-19,” she said.
“We’ve seen a spike in usage and sign-ups for our fleet as a result, and that’s a trend we expect to continue as Australians are thinking differently about the value of car-sharing services.”
Car sharing is a service that allows people to rent a communal vehicle for short periods of time – either by the hour or day.
It’s aimed at those who don’t own a car or need a second vehicle and only have to drive a few times a week or month.
Across the country the overall hours of Popcar bookings have increased 49 per cent from pre-coronavirus levels, with membership numbers increasing 21 per cent between January and May.
Australians are also using their share cars for longer, with 24-hour bookings doubling since the start of the pandemic, while the number of members travelling more than 50km per booking has risen from 29 per cent to 34 per cent.
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing for all car-share providers, with RACV Car Share ceasing operations when coronavirus restrictions were introduced.
“Due to a number of factors, including economic uncertainty and a greater focus on a broader range of transport and mobility services, RACV made the decision to close our car-share service on June 30, 2020,” a spokeswoman said.
“The decision to close RACV Car Share reflects how we will continue to adjust our commitments and investments to build a strong future for RACV in the mobility space.”
Stage three coronavirus restrictions have led to a 90 per cent fall in people using Melbourne’s public transport system – from two million commuters a day to about 200,000.
Originally published as Coronavirus Melbourne: Commuters move to car share over public transport
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