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Shyft, a new carshare initiative, will soon be making its way to Dunedin. Kate Beecroft of Shyft told Critic, “We’re looking to have the Wellington operation up and running in September. We’ll concentrate on proving the concept here and then we’ll be looking for interested parties to help us expand to Dunedin and Christchurch next year.”

Shyft works using a magnetic card system. Once you have signed up, which is free of charge, you are given a card. The card gives you access to a car by swiping the card on the windscreen. Cars are pre-booked using the Shyft app. Cars are parked throughout the city and have an hourly use rate of $15, with administration and petrol costs included.

Beecroft said Shyft intends to use the 2014 Prius C for the project. She said, “They have pretty amazing fuel economy at 3.9L/100k and are smooth and silent to drive. We chose them because they’re sustainable little beauties, high tech and great city cars.” The environment plays a major role in why the team at Shyft saw a need for the project. Adam Campbell, who is set to work on Otago’s branch of Shyft, said, “The converse of this is that people are driving less.” He said, “Carsharing cars tend to be cleaner, which explains how the emissions of individuals using carsharing schemes have been shown to be reduced by up to 70 per cent.”

A great deal of effort has gone into ensuring the success of Shyft. Beecroft said the group took part in the Smart Energy Challenge, which was facilitated by the Wellington City Council and Enspiral (a social enterprise hub). The group also attended numerous workshops, which would aid smooth running of the business, “for example [workshops on] pitching to community outreach.” Beecroft said they have been “gathering the support of Wellingtonians, as well as organising all the back-end technology to run carshare.”

Although it is fairly new in New Zealand, carsharing is a familiar concept across the globe. Campbell said, “Carsharing is an idea that has taken off around the world, with around a thousand cities now boasting schemes.” Tom Pettit of Shyft added, “I’ve been a member of three or four carshare schemes when living elsewhere in the world. So after three years in Wellington of waiting and hoping, why not give it a try ourselves?”

Campbell said, “Overseas data shows that availability of carsharing cars reduces the size of the private vehicle fleet as people switch to using shared cars. Up to 32 private vehicles can be replaced for every carsharing car.” He said, “What’s more, the first private vehicles to go are often the oldest, most smoke-spluttering crapheaps. This also means there’s more urban space freed up from parking, which can be used to promote liveable cities.”

In regards to how the initiative will benefit Otago students, Campbell said, “The genius of carsharing is that it meets a huge and obvious need. Most students in Dunedin don’t own cars, but they would like to be able to use one every now and again.” Campbell believes that “a Shyft car in Dunedin would be perfect for picking up heavy groceries for the flat, dropping a flattie at the airport, heading out to the Peninsula to enjoy the beaches, brunch at Portobello or a starlit date night.”
Campbell said that feedback for the idea has been extremely positive so far. “Wellingtonians love it, and want it.” He said, “The millennial generation are a bit fed up with the idea that you have to own all sorts of costly stuff. All over the world people are using the sharing economy as a way to escape the shackles of ownership and use things like cars only when they need them.”

Beecroft said Shyft are currently running a design competition for all members of the public, with the winning artwork set to completely cover the outside of two cars. Applications can be submitted on the Shyft website, www.shyft.co.nz.