Dunedin (Thursday, 27 April 2023) – The Dunedin City Council will seek proposals from private operators interested in establishing a car share service in the city.

The service, which is common overseas and already running in some New Zealand cities, provides short term car hire at convenient locations to subscribers.

DCC Manahautu - General Manager Māori, Partnerships and Policy Jeanette Wikaira says establishing a service in Dunedin will increase transport options for residents, visitors and students alike, and reduce the need for people to own, store and maintain their own vehicles.

“A service like this would give more people in Dunedin access to vehicles when they need them, without the commitments and costs associated with vehicle ownership.

“Evidence from overseas shows reduced vehicle ownership helps decrease congestion, demand for on-street parking and vehicle emissions, helping the city deliver on its Zero Carbon goals and making it a win-win for our city.”

The University of Otago and Te Pūkenga are involved as part of the Zero Carbon Alliance as they see the benefit of staff and students having access to such a service.

The service could also be integrated into interested businesses’ vehicle fleet operations.

Following discussion at today’s Council meeting, the DCC will now seek proposals from operators wanting to run a service in Dunedin.

An update to Council will follow once a preferred operator has been identified.

The DCC will not own or operate the new service, and costs associated with reduced parking revenue, extra electric vehicle charging infrastructure and staff time are expected to be less than $100,000.

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