A Queensland man has been praised for his brilliant idea which allows tourists to ride in style without the extra costs.
Luke Rust, 30, originally from the UK, noticed a gap in Australia’s car-sharing market after moving to the Gold Coast in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
He made a point and created Outbound, a technology company that is already disrupting the Australian tourism industry.
“My partner and I bought our first family car – a VW Tiguan for $40,000 – but quickly needed a second car as access to public transport is poor in our area and Uber is expensive,” he said. Luke told news.com.au.
However, after paying $30,000 more on a Hyundai i30, Luke said the car was only used for two trips a week.
“So he was inactive for 99 percent of the week,” he added.
The 30-year-old, who has training in future mobility, spoke to other residents in his apartment block who told him they also needed 1.5 cars.
“So the idea of having one and accessing it when you need it became obvious,” he said.
It was at this point that Luke thought of creating a contactless car sharing platform for apartments.
“We realized that the same product could also be applied in hotels and commercial buildings.”
In the first concept of its kind in Australia, Luke created Outbound, investing in a Tesla Model 3 that hotel guests can use for as little as $30 an hour.
“This is a really exciting development for the Australian tourism industry,” he said.
Luke explained that shared mobility is slightly different from traditional car sharing in that they are not private vehicle owners who rent out their personal cars to make money; rather the vehicles are attached to an estate and are available for community use, exclusively for those staying or living there.
He said Gold Coast hotel Mantra at Sharks at Southport was the first to jump on the bandwagon, having launched the service in April with Tesla now considered a hotel amenity. like your gym, bar or concierge.
“Guests can reserve the car using the Outbound app and it is parked at the site
Mantra to Sharks, saving you the hassle of finding a car rental point,” said Luke.
“The app is very easy to use: guests just sign up, reserve the car and unlock it
your phone It’s very practical for anyone who wants to take a day trip to, say, theme parks or the countryside.”
The Tesla can be rented for $30 an hour and includes insurance and energy, so guests only pay for the time they use it. There are no formalities either.
“Especially with rising fuel prices, a road trip to the Gold Coast is becoming more and more expensive, so tourists can get to the airport, stay at the hotel and go wherever they want to use the electric vehicle (EV)”.
Luke said that aside from its environmental benefits, the luxury and novelty surrounding Teslas is what drew him to the vehicle, more than any other.
“At the time, Tesla was the best value for money because we wanted a vehicle with at least 400km of range, a brand that was intriguing/attractive to users and properties, and then the wider environmental benefits of electric driving” , Luke explained.
He bought it for about $65,000 and said it’s now worth more “than what we paid for it, so the car breaks even very quickly.”
Luke said guests also love the Model 3’s ride/acceleration and giant touchscreen. “Interestingly, they all feel very safe in Tesla because of the vehicles’ extra cameras, sensors and guidance systems.”
He said the response so far has been “amazing” with guests loving the idea of driving around in a luxury car, for a reasonable price.
“People love not having to wait at a service desk and the idea of driving a Tesla,” he said. “But with anything new, we’re finding ways to improve.
Luke said it can take some people a while to figure out how to move.
“When people jump into a Tesla for the first time, it can be overwhelming and we’re working hard to make it better.”
Luke said he is in discussions to roll out the scheme to other hotels on the Gold Coast.
as well as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
He also expects an adoption of the concept in residential and commercial buildings, where
owners and renters would have access to one or more electric vehicles and reduce dependence
on the ownership of private vehicles.
“The cost of owning a personal car can be as high as $17,000 a year,” he said.
“If communal electric vehicles were available for use and this could only be included in your body corporate rates, you could cut a huge chunk of that expense.
“Not to mention, you save parking spaces and improve local air quality.”
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