Ride share

Put your car to work - soon you could be earning money by renting out your wheels!

Ford is the latest company to reveal plans for subscription-style services for future vehicles, which will allow customers to only pay for the functions in the car they want.

Can a car subscription be a way of sidestepping the new-car shortage, at least until supply catches up to demand? Could you nab yourself a new(ish) set of wheels within a matter of days rather than waiting more than half a year for your next vehicle?

‘Car sharing’ (or ‘carsharing’, if you’re more the compound word type) may bring about mental images of teenagers on their Ps desperately negotiating with their parents to be granted access to the family car on the weekend, but the truth is it’s something far more harmonious. 

Toyota sold more cars than any other brand on the planet last year, but it has decided it is not a car company anymore. Instead, it's become a mobility company following the Australian launch of its Kinto rideshare business.

The Volkswagen Group is set to make a takeover bid for one of the world’s largest vehicle hire companies Europcar, signalling its intention to join other major car makers in the car rental and subscription market.

Loopit - that's what you'll be hearing in South Africa, New Zealand and the Middle East if this innovative Aussie car subscription company has its way.

In uncertain times, you might think differently about things. For example, instead of buying and owning a car, there’s a chance you could have recently searched 'car subscription Australia', only to be confused at what is out there in the car subscription service space. 

Maven, GM's car sharing platform, will shut down globally in 2020.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter buses are being trialled in South Australia as part of a new on-demand service called Keoride.Similar to Uber in operation and execution, Keoride users can book a ride in the Mercedes-Benz vehicles via a smartphone application, but allows for up to 12 passengers.With the service being run in Mount Barker and Barossa – the latter location chosen to likely take advantage of wine region tour groups – the trial will make use of eight vehicles and run for six months with support from the South Australian government.Each of the Sprinter buses are long-wheelbase variants, which are also fitted with rear air-conditioning, an electric side-entrance step and rear side windows, as well as an extra fit-out of features from VQuip.All buses come with autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, reversing camera and lane-keep assist.Designed to ease congestion on roads and efficiently transport larger groups of people, the Keoride app can also match customers that are travelling in similar directions and optimise drive routes.Mercedes-Benz Vans boss Diane Tarr said the trial is a perfect halfway point between ride-sharing and public transport.“The Keoride on-demand ride-sharing service offers a way of making public transport needs-based, efficient and sustainable – especially when it involves the use of spacious, safe and comfortable Sprinter vans,” she said. “It’s the perfect collaboration.“Through our involvement in this new mobility service, we are taking a logical step in the context of bringing our global mobility strategy to life locally.”