Former Whanganui student Oscar Ellison introduces new technology to Yourdrive business

Former Whanganui Collegiate student Oscar Ellison is introducing new technology to his Auckland-based Yourdrive business.

A former Whanganui student is taking his Auckland-based car sharing business to the next level with the introduction of new technology.

Yourdrive chief executive Oscar Ellison, who is originally from Foxton and attended Whanganui Collegiate, developed the online platform where car owners can rent out their personal vehicles. The idea behind Yourdrive is that you can rent out your car during downtime - be it while you're at work or away for a few days.

After pushing through two years of legal and insurance hurdles, Ellison launched the business in 2015. Two years ago, traditional rental company Jucy took a 50 per cent stake for an undisclosed sum. Ellison owns the balance.

In the latest development, the company has introduced an automated service which allows renters to use an app to unlock a vehicle instead of the owner having to hand over the keys. Yourdrive, at its own cost, will install a $250 hardware unit, which can be accessed via the app, in the car. The technology can be retrofitted to most vehicles.

Ellison told the Whanganui Chronicle this week that the business had been growing an average 100 per cent per year for the past few years, with its main focus on Auckland where inner city living was changing the way people thought about vehicle ownership.

"In Auckland people are starting to think differently about how they move about," Ellison said.

Areas of dense urban living meant people often did not have space for car parking and did not need to own a vehicle for day-to-day transport.

About 70 per cent of the vehicles registered with Yourdrive are located in Auckland. Tourists are also keen to use the service in Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown but there are few cars available in the smaller centres.

Renters can now access some Yourdrive-registered vehicles via an app on their smartphone.

The new automated system has so far been installed in 15 cars in Auckland and Wellington and Yourdrive has received about the same number of bookings for cars that have the new system.

"It's a test and learn approach at the moment," Ellison said.

"It frees up the owner to take more bookings because they don't have the key handover system.

"The need to collect the keys from the owner is one of the main barriers to use of the platform, as some owners end up turning away offers to rent their vehicle when they can't get away to meet their customer.

"The easier it is to use, the more people will come back. We're in a continual development cycle. We'll never stop building features - it's small incremental improvements."

Ellison says allowing for GST, his company takes a 31 per cent clip of the ticket on each rental, with insurance included in its commission. The renter has to return the car in the same condition they picked it up - which means they cover their own fuel costs, and cleaning.

When new customers first sign up, they have to provide driver's licence details, which are cross-checked with an NZ Transport Association database, and sometimes with credit and police background checks - so Ellison says there can be a slight delay for approval.