Founder and Director of GoGet Car Share Sydney, the green alternative to owning a car, gives Our Manly an inside look at how he got the business off the ground, how it helps the environment and the vital role the Internet plays in his business.
Following involvement with the Masters program at Murdoch University Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, Bruce has worked extensively in both the private and government sectors. He has recently been an integral part of the NSW State Government’s Sustainability Unit, based within the NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. Bruce looks after the operational and marketing elements of GoGet and is a passionate and entrepreneurial voice in the sustainable development of green business in the Northern Beaches and Australia. 
O M: Where did the idea for Goget come from?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: It was really quite personal. Both co-founder Nic Lowe and I lived in Newtown Sydney and we just didn’t need to own a car. We needed access to a car now and then. It was a community need.
O M: Was the founding of Goget ecologically and morally driven or simply financial?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: It was important to us that it be an intrinsically green business. That’s what we wanted to do, but it had to be a viable, thriving business. We weren’t doing it just to be green; in order for it to have an impact, it had to be successful.
O M: Any businesses you emulate? Any great companies that set the standard?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: We were lucky that there were other carshare businesses in other countries that we researched. That was a big help because they were willing to share information about their experiences. San Francisco City Carshare was a really good starting point for us. We now have a reciprocal arrangement with San Francisco’s City Carshare and thee other car share companies. If you are a member of GoGet you are also a member of those by default, so if you happen to be visiting San Francisco, you’re automatically a member.
Our Manly: Are you advertising or relying purely on word-of-mouth for growth?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: Word-of-mouth is invaluable, especially when users recommend it to colleagues. We are also active at community events and festivals, do marketing in the local area.
Our Manly: What is a 'paladin'? I've noticed these people around Sydney.
BRUCE JEFFREYS: A ‘paladin’ is a local community champion who helps GoGet out in exchange for driving credits. It’s a simple way for local people to get involved and importantly it keeps the service real and the quality of the service high because these people live in a particular area and make sure the service is working. It’s more than rolling advertisements; it’s about keeping the service relevant to a local community.
Our Manly: And you do believe this is an ecologically responsible enterprise?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: From what we have experienced both on an anecdotal and factual level - we do capture what customer’s car usage is before they use our service and after they become a member – is that really the effect of car sharing is to make people use a vehicle when they need it rather than all the time. We’ve particularly noticed a large drop in usage amongst people who already owned a car. On the other hand, people who did not own a car prior to joining GoGet there is a marginal increase in driving. You might say we have stopped those individuals from going and buying a car. The key thing is that ownership of a car that makes people drive a lot.
O M: Is there a predominate age of users or do you find a broad spectrum of customers?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: Broadly, there are two typical users. You have organizations that need an extra vehicle during the week- non-profits, small businesses, consultancies, architects and engineers who most of the time have their own transport or don’t need a car. The other type is a local resident who most of the time can get by without a car as well, but from time to time needs an additional vehicle or needs a car for a special circumstance.
O M: You didn’t rely on outside capital in the beginning. How did you fund the company to start?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: Nic and I funded it more through our own hard work than anything else. We started very small and kept very close to our members and grew it, you could say, organically and basically expanding by reinvesting everything back into the service.
O M: How do you service the vehicles?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: We actually have a mobile fleet service. We typically service them on-site.
O M: Setbacks?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: We’ve had lots of trials and tribulations as opposed to setbacks, as such. It’s taken a lot of time to prove that the service is viable and worth backing. To give you a concrete example, it was a long time that we found an insurance policy that reflected the risk of our drivers which was much lower than the risk of a typical car rental, for example. Not so many setbacks as roadblocks. (No pun intended! –ed.)
O M: Future expansion goals?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: Our current goal is to put a Goget car within 500 metres of every residence in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the next 2-3 years.
O M: Does the internet go hand in hand with this business? Seems like a symbiotic relationship, especially with arranging for the car and your billing plan. Is the internet vital?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: It is vital. What the internet allows us to do is make the service very simple for members. Behind our simple on-line service are a lot of complex systems that make the whole system run. Members just get a very simple experience. The internet makes a complex thing – sharing 120 cars amongst 2000 people into quite a simple and reliable activity.
Our Manly: Do people have any trouble with membership fees?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: Typically they don’t because they compare it to car ownership, the cost of maintaining a car. Most people realize that it’s a fraction of the cost of owning a car.
O M: What types of cars do you offer? Big 4WD’s or do smaller, more economical cars make more sense?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: We do offer some larger station wagons useful for longer trips but we really are focused on small and economical cars that are the most useful in the city.
O M: Are there hybrid vehicles yet?
BRUCE JEFFREYS: We are quite keen to add hybrid vehicles to our fleet. They are quite expensive at the moment and the cost is prohibitive at the moment.
Thanks, Bruce for giving the readers of Our Manly a glimpse into one of Sydney's most exciting and responsible companies. We encourage our readers to take the green path whenever possible, and GoGet will make it possible.
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