Car-sharing service Popcar has announced that it is partnering with Australia’s largest co-living company Hmlet. From last month (November 2019), Popcar vehicles are being rolled out at Hmlet’s properties, the first one being placed in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Marrickville.
With this company collaboration, Popcar and Hmlet aim to provide Australians with a more sustainable way to move around, as together both businesses seek to explore the opportunities in temporary travelling and living arrangements.
Both startups launched in 2016 and noticed the same dilemma. They saw that travelling workers tend to adopt a mobile reality; with a hectic lifestyle, it is hard for them to access a reliable form of transportation and a stable place of residence for a short period of time.
The director of Popcar, Anthony Welsh, believes the way we organise our ownership of vehicles and living spaces poses serious challenges on the capacity of our environment, as well as our personal and financial well-being.
“For everyone, car ownership is expensive, and for many people car ownership is unnecessary as it’s the access to drive a vehicle which is the need a person has, not to own a car,” he says.
“Popcar is about giving people a highly flexible alternative to owning a car themselves, whilst still providing all the benefits of having that access to car mobility.”
Popcar offers car rental services with various monthly subscription; while Hmlet provides co-living and private spaces for individuals in-between long-term accommodations.
It is of little wonder, then, that the brands have realised their shared vision, values and goals. With a promised “affordable, hassle-free and sustainable” service, Popcar and Hmlet’s collaboration is looking to disrupt their industries with a creative, community-led model of sharing services for individuals on the go.
Evidenced by the feedback so far, this partnership sees a reduced living cost and an enhanced control over the flexibility of their lifestyles from users.
Anthony believes that the collaboration with Hmlet is a “natural fit.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Hmlet as we are both aligned in our approach of wanting to provide a flexible, community-led experience while maximising value for our customers.
“The intentional flexibility and control that a car share user has is also a perfect attribute particularly to someone in Hmlet’s shared spaces.
“For these residents, we believe that it further enhances the advantages of the services offered independently from both Popcar and Hmlet.”
Chrystan Paul, Managing Director of Hmlet Australia, similarly believes that the rise of the sharing economy, which both companies participate in, is no coincidence – especially considering the reality of modern living.
“We think it will become a real alternative to the traditional rental model and the way people view traditional ownership, with easy access to a wide variety of vehicles to suit their changing needs.”
The service of Popcar is accessible across Australia, with Hmlet currently available in Sydney and soon launching in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Read up more on sharing-economy startups by following our editorial series on Sharing Hub’s (a sharing economy startup accelerator program) startup stories.
