Hobart man’s side hustle earns thousands of dollars on Car Next Door rental platform

A Hobart man says he has earned thousands of dollars in little over a month after listing vehicles with a new hire car platform. HOW YOU CAN CASH IN >>

A SIDE hustle described as the “Airbnb of hire cars” has earned a Howrah man and his brothers more than $9000 in just over a month.

After hearing a tourist was quoted $15,000 for a small Kia for a month-long hire, Ben Palmer investigated the possibility of renting out vehicles of his own.

Mr Palmer found Car Next Door and signed up, with he and his brothers now having purchased 12 used but reliable and in good condition cars to rent out on the platform.

They include a range of vehicles including people movers, a Falcon ute, Toyota Camry and Subaru Outback.

“We’re getting a real trend of tourists booking for 5-6 days and then extending for another 5-6 days because it’s cost-effective to do so,’’ Mr Palmer said.

“We have put a car cleaner on part-time for between hire cleans, and we utilise a mechanic fairly frequently and do double the services that would normally be required. We don’t want any problems.”

Mr Palmer and his brothers have also been the recipients of a $1000 state government grant, per car, as part of an incentive to get more hire cars on the road in Tasmania amid a shortage.

Applications for the Hire and Drive Reimbursement Program grant close on January 31.

Will Davies, the chief executive and founder of Car Next Door — which was last week acquired by Uber — said more than 350 cars are now being shared in Tasmania.

Mr Davies said bookings were up by 548 per cent year on year, highlighting the growth seen in the 12 months since Car Next Door launched.

“The majority of bookings are from interstate visitors who are unable to get a hire car while they are travelling around,” he said.

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