Value of Design Award

Mevo Mevo

Credits
  • Pou Rautaki / Strategic Lead
    Finn Lawrence
  • Ngā Kaimahi / Team Members
    Nina McKenna, Hunter Lindsay
Description:

New Zealand’s passenger transport system is in a bad place. Outside of a few small European nations with less than 10% of our population, we have the world's highest rate of private vehicle ownership: 897 vehicles per 1000 people. Around 80% of commuting trips in New Zealand are made in a private car, dwarfing public transport (6.5%) and active transport (walking/cycling, 11.3% combined).

Mevo allows people to rent cars on demand for as little or as long as they need. Before this, people would have to own a car or go to a specific location and hire cars for a certain amount of time. Mevo has worked with councils to allow our vehicles to be left throughout the cities in council car parks, allowing car sharing to be more accessible than ever before. This shift reduces the friction of not owning their vehicle.

By redesigning car ownership, Mevo can dramatically decrease New Zealand's and worldwide carbon emissions by reducing the cars needed to be made and by offsetting 120 - 200% of the carbon on trips.

It can not only reduce carbon emissions but can also see cities become more liveable. Residents and businesses who replace owning a vehicle with Mevo increase their use of public and active transport as they take a more “menu-based” approach to getting around - rather than always reaching for the car keys. By reducing the number of vehicles in city centres, councils can reduce the number of parking spaces needed and make that space a shared space for their constituents to enjoy. It also enables more housing density without the need for these people to have parking spaces, providing more people with housing. If you can quickly and easily access a car that isn’t yours - owning one can look much less appealing.