WHY THIS CAR IS THE AIRBNB OF THE ROAD
A FASCINATING survey released this week in the UK points to the next great wave of disruption that will affect our daily lives. Research commissioned by Turo, which is a car-share website along the lines of Airbnb, revealed that the generation now growing up isn’t hung up on the concept of ownership.
More than 40 per cent of the respondents said they believed they never would own houses, and less than half owned their cars outright. Most were driving cars they got on hire purchase, personal contract plans or lease, which they said offered flexibility to trade up, or downsize, at key moments in their lives without having to hand over massive lump sums.
One in ten people said that sharing was more ‘modern’, and maybe there’s some truth to that. It nevertheless still is a fact that not owning a car is a luxury afforded only to those who live within walking or cycling distance of work, or have access to decent public transport.
One fifth of the people surveyed by OnePoll said they felt there was less pressure and responsibility when they rented rather than buying outright, though 35% said they would miss the sense of ownership.
The trend has started here with the likes of GoCar, which offers cars and vans for rental periods of as little as 30 minutes in Cork, Limerick, Killarney, Galway, Waterford, Wexford, Naas, Navan, Drogheda, Dundalk, Bray, Greystones and multiple locations in Dublin city and county. Rates start from €8 an hour for the likes of a Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio or Hyundai i10 or i20, and from €12 an hour for a Ford Transit, handy for anyone who has a lot of flatpack furniture to buy. Toyota has got in on the act with Yuko, pictured above, another short-term rental company that offers rates from €8 an hour.
Developers and planners have anticipated the shift, and most new apartment buildings now don’t offer even one parking space to every buyer, never mind two. In Europe, Nissan has trialled the idea of co-ownership between apartment tenants.
In a changing word, that probably makes sense. I’d just hate to be the person drawing up the roster!