SA in slow lane as shared wheels sweep world
Trend is away from owning a car, towards having access to one
In China, millennials are increasingly opting out of car ownership in favour of hourly rentals, while in London thousands of bicycles, which can now be located and unlocked with a smartphone app, were recently introduced into the city's established bike-sharing scene. These developments are part of a global personal-mobility revolution, in which ownership of transport solutions is shared - a trend that is already established in the US and Europe and quickly gaining traction in some emerging markets. Although South Africa is lagging behind the trend, with just one small car-sharing service, Locomute, operating in the country, car manufacturers and vehicle-finance providers are getting into gear for a future in which local consumers will demand mobility above car ownership. "We see a market where more and more customers are not exactly sure about owning a car. They are starting to dabble with the principle of why they should own a car and not pay for the usage instead," said Marius Bu...
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