Posts Tagged ‘Victoria Carter’
Friday, June 24th, 2011
Think about the time cost benefit of your car suggests Victoria Carter, Cityhop’s co-founder.
Apparently the world’s more than 850 million cars and small trucks are parked for between 20 to 22 hours a day. The average American spends 18% of their income running a car that’s parked stationary 95% of time.
When she tweeted this staggering fact, a cityhoppa commented that the figure is probably worse for kiwis, ie they probably use their cars even less than this.
Interesting, how we apply time and cost studies to business but rarely ourselves. And if we were to truly look at our patterns of use with our car versus the actual cost we might seriously want to change how we move about.
For more on this read carshare guru Robin Chase, Lend your car and save the world!
Tags: car share, carshare, carsharing, Cityhop, how to live without a car. cityhop, Jayride, ridesharing, Victoria Carter
Posted in Drive less or car share, Transport | Comments Off
Friday, June 17th, 2011
The Guardian had an article by John Elkington about how times may be a-changing and that whereas once people aspired to get a company car or save up for a flasher car these days they are more interested in not owning. ( well in the US, UK and Europe) NZ may have a little way to go.
Elkington noted how we spoke at a conference in Madrid and that “someone from the auto industry noted to a small group of us that what is really spooking them is the fact that young people are beginning to think differently about car ownership.
“Unlike earlier generations, for whom owning a car was a signal of independence, of having arrived, young people these days are showing much less inclination to possess their own car – and, empowered by mobile phones, apps, social networks and start-ups like Go Get, Streetcar, Zipcar, WhipCar and City Car Club, they are increasingly opting for car sharing.
Now there’s a thought!
Tags: car share, cars by the hour., carshare, carsharing, Cityhop, Go Get, how to live without a car. cityhop, Victoria Carter, Zipcar
Posted in Drive less or car share, Transport | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
At what price will we think we can still afford to be a two or three car family?
One theory is that despite petrol edging up over $2.21 a litre car travel is still relatively under-priced and over-consumed in relation to the damage we are doing to the environment.
It might surprise readers to know most of us have tripled the kilometres we drive in the past 20 years. Maybe only the right kind of pricing can undo the obsession many of us have to drive everywhere?
That’s why car share clubs are taking off around the world. People who only use a car a few times a week yet pay for a smart piece of metal to sit in an expensive garage realise that it makes no sense. They sell their car and use cityhops ecofriendly cars instead!
It’s cheap -only $15 an hour, or $75 for 24 hours.
Says Victoria Carter Cityhop co-founder,”Car share means all the nice things about having a car but none of the bad – like someone else worrying about the maintenance, remembering the Warrant of Fitness, registration, checking the tyres and so on.
Car share is growing in popularity. In the US, it’s cool to be a Zipster and Zipcar , which recently floated very successfully, has over half a million members sharing cars.
Our friends at Go Get have doubled in size to 10,000 members in the past 12 months. Sydney and Mebourne residents get that it makes sense to just use car share occasionally rather than pay the costs of having a car in your driveway!
Maybe it’s time to think about what your really car costs?
Tags: car share, cars by the hour., carshare, carsharing, Go Get, how to live without a car. cityhop, Victoria Carter, Zipcar
Posted in Drive less or car share, Transport | Comments Off
Saturday, April 30th, 2011
Before you throw out your magazines, cardboard or other so called rubbish, think about whether your local kindergarten or childcare centre could use them.
Victoria Carter, a director of Kidicorp and co-founder of Cityhop, took some Webbs auction catalogues recently to Edukids Manukau. She thought the motorbike pictures would enthral some little boy.
But the catalogue has not been cut up though. It has become a treasured book amongst the boys . When she visited recently she noticed a little boy sitting under a tree quietly relishing all the pictures of cars and bikes . She called Webbs General Manager, Neil Campbell and asked him if he had anymore.
Webbs are now sending a pile of catalogues to the centre to share amongst other centres to support literacy and learning. What a great way to recycle and see rubbish that might go out for paper recycling being given a new lease of life!
Thank you Webbs.
Victoria says her years of being involved with the kindergarten association made her appreciate that one man’s rubbish is another child’s treasure! She regularly brings what some might consider ‘rubbish’ to childcare centres for the children to turn into something.
The most recently example of this was when she had a new printer delivered for her office. Inside the box were some amazing corrugated cardboard shapes to protect the printer. Before throwing into the paper recycling bin she thought, ‘hmm, I bet children could make something amazing out of this.’
And yes, Edukids Manukau children made a city that had suffered an earthquake. The earthquake has filled so many television screens that many teachers have used the subject as a learning story to help children process and understand what happened. In this centre the up and down, uneven corrugated shapes were painted by the children and figures and objects placed around and on it to create a city that has had an earthquake. Children then talked about what to do if there was an earthquake.
How exciting to see rubbish turned into such a learning.
Tags: Edukids, environmentally friendly, Kidicorp, Kidicorp childcare, kindergarden, kindergarten, recycling, reusing, rubbish, sustainability, Victoria Carter, Webbs, Webbs auction house
Posted in Reuse and recycle, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Monday, April 25th, 2011
Victoria Carter, co founder of Cityhop says, “I don’t watch much television but tonight, thanks to a car share enthusiast telling me, I watched an amazing doco on Channel 7.” Now I’m really sad that it’s going to go – what a channel to broaden your mind!
It was so good I thought I bet a lot of people would have missed it so I went on line to try and find out more. What am I talking about? The e transport series narrated by Brad Pitt! Tonight was all about the cool Paris bike scheme.
When I went looking for a link to share I found a pile of programmes that look great and you won’t find them on 1, 2 or 3!
E transport have done a series of amazing shows on different forms of transport. Tonight was one on the Paris bike sharing scheme. Very interesting. The Council did a deal with an advertising signs company to provide 10,000 bikes in return for some advertising space.
As I begged my teenage sons to turn to it, my eldest who visited Paris last year, said, “I’ve used these, they are really ugly but a good idea.”
We’ve all heard of the bike scheme, but this went behind and interviewed the Mayor, varous users and the company on why it works. Fascinating.
It just shows what a city can do to encourage people to change their driving habits if they are committed.
Tags: bike hire scheme, bike share, bike sharing, carless, cars by the hour., drive less, Paris bike scheme, Velib, Victoria Carter
Posted in Drive less or car share, Environment | Comments Off
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
As investors want more IPOs, Zipcar, the world’s largest car share company has decided to float. What is interesting is that they are offering shares at the upper end of the range. For more on the float read here
Relay Rides, (a neighbour to neighbour ride share concept) Chief Executive and Zip car competitor, Shelby Clark says, “Zipcar is part of a larger trend of environmentally conscious consumers who are interested in accessing products but not necessarily owning them,
“It’s about saying, ‘I’m spending too much money, it’s wasteful and I need to find a smarter way to access the things I need,’” Clark said. “Zipcar has taken car sharing from a niche idea to the mainstream. They’ve made it a hip, lifestyle choice for young urban professionals.”
Says, Victoria Carter, cityhop co-founder, “Car share is taking off around the world in any city where congestion is a problem and smart young urban professionals are recognising they don’t need the status symbol of a car in their driveway or basement for taking out once a week to get groceries or visit someone when they can swipe their car on a car share car.”
Tags: car share, cars by the hour., carshare, carsharing, Cityhop car share, how to live without a car. cityhop, save money, Victoria Carter, Zipcar
Posted in Drive less or car share | Comments Off
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Did you know 200,000,000,000 litres of bottled water are consumed globally generating 1,500,000 tons of plastic waste! That 170,000,000 litres of oil are required to produce and transport these plastic bottles to the consumer.
Makes you think twice before you buy bottled water and think maybe that tap water is fine?
Cityhop’s Victoria Carter says “For Christmas I have given all my grandkids and my own sons special water bottles from Katmandu so they can cut down on plastic!”
Tags: plastic water bottles, recycling, Victoria Carter, waste
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Monday, November 29th, 2010
Cityhop co-founder, Victoria Carter has a kereru that visits her bird bath each evening. “To see this magnificent native wood pigeon land on the edge of the bird bath is the most extraordinary sight,” she says.
“We live right on a main road but our garden is full of the most amazing bird life despite having a dog. Lucy dog has learned the morning bread thrown on the lawn is out of bounds!
The photo of the pigeon on the birdbath isn’t the best photo I’ve ever taken but proof adds Victoria! The first time it appeared we were so surprised but since then it comes back most nights for a drink!
But there’s more!
Says Victoria:
“Our garden is full of tui’s diving, squawking and chasing eachother, and we have the usual array of other birds, grey doves, sparrows, thrushes, and many more.
On Saturday I was having a coffee with a friend and to our amazement there was a rustle of wings in our magnolias and suddenly the majestic wood pigeon arrived on the bird bath and suddenly with another flourish of wings a second arrived and promptly sat in the water bathing itself!
My first thought was get a camera, where’s my phone, but they were inside and I didn’t want to frighten them off. They were startled by something else and flew into our neighbour’s frangipani tree and sucked the flower’s necter.
We felt so priviliged to be watching this amazing bird life on a main road!
Tags: carbon footprints, city gardens, Cityhop, cityhop auckland, Environment, environmentally friendly, kereru, sustainability, sustainable practices, Victoria Carter, wood pigeons
Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, November 26th, 2010
Victoria Carter, Co-founder of Cityhop is also the Chair of the Auckland Arts Festival. On Tuesday she was invited to the launch of BOX, its new cafe at the Aotea Centre. Right under BOX you will find a cityhop car share car for when you need wheels.
The Aotea Square has just been smartened up, Hone Tuwhare’s gate has been re-painted and looks beautiful. BOX is a new cafe for breakfast, coffee, lunch, pre-show drinks or dinner. It’s perfectly placed over looking the Square, has great music, good food and is also the place to spot the ‘arterati’. You might even find Len Brown getting his coffee.
On Tuesday Victoria and David Inns, the CEO of the Auckland Festival couldn’t believe stumbling into IOTA, Australia’s most famous cabaret performer and STAR of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Oz.
IOTA has won not just one BUT FOUR HELPMANN awards – what are they – they are Australia’s highest honour for someone in entertainment.
IOTA is the star of Smoke & Mirrors one of the NOT TO MISS shows in the upcoming Festival March 2 to 20.
Thank you Brian Rudman for your VERY nice piece on the time, effort, blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the Festival!
Tags: Aotea Centre, Aotea Square, Auckland Arts Festival, BOX, Cityhop, Len Brown, Smoke & Mirrors, Victoria Carter
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
Corporate Responsibility magazine in the US named Scott Griffiths, the CEO and Chair of Zipcar as CEO of the Year in the ‘social entrepreneur’ category.
On receiving the award in Chicago, Scott said, “I am humbled by this recognition from CR Magazine. The success of the Zipcar brand clearly demonstrates how a business can ‘do well by doing good.’ Our definition of sustainability is ‘the most efficient use of resources.’ Since each Zipcar removes 15 personally owned vehicles from the road, we help reduce congestion, ease parking demands and lower a community’s overall carbon footprint. I am proud to lead a company that is by definition sustainable,” said Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO of Zipcar. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of our 500,000 passionate members who we call Zipsters. Zipsters share our vision of a future where car sharing members outnumber car owners in major cities around the globe.”
Cityhop, is NZ’s own version of zipcar. Like Zipcar, members have access to cars via a smart card. They become members of a car share club and can use cars anywhere in Auckland or Wellington city once they have booked on line and the cars are programmed.
Scott has been CEO since 2003 and has steered Zipcar to be the world’s biggest car share company. In 2007 they merged with Flexcar not long after cityhop launched into Auckland. This year they acquired Streetcar, the UK’s fastest growing car club so they could expand car share throughout the United Kingdom.
Zipcar has helped change urban life by providing instant affordable mobility in 14 major metropolitan areas, 220 college campuses in the United States, United Kingdom and Canda.
If you don’t think you need a car think about joining a car club, find out more about cityhop.
Tags: Car club, car clubs, car share, car sharing, cars by the hour., Cityhop, how to live without a car. cityhop, Scoltt Griffiths, sharing a car, Victoria Carter, Zipcar
Posted in Drive less or car share, Uncategorized | Comments Off
