CAR-SHARING appears to be hitching itself to the Australian psyche as Holden celebrates its first anniversary of ride-share product Maven Gig with 1000 cars on the roads in four cities.

Holden is the first – and at the moment, only – car company in the nation with a ride-share product and has announced that it now has more than 1000 members and has recorded one million passenger trips.

Maven Australia general manager Matt Rattray-Wood said the first year had shown there was a strong appetite for the ride-share service in Australia.

“In the future we are looking deeper into the sharing side of the business, exploring apps and what other opportunities there are to provide new mobility solutions for businesses and individuals,” he said.

“At the moment we’re focused on the four cities we operate in, but we are looking at expansion opportunities.

“Perth is the next obvious large city but we have no immediate plans.”

Mr Rattray-Wood said demand has been “really strong”.

“We don’t see any signs of that slowing,” he said.

“Being part of GM and Holden means we can expand our fleet to meet demand.”

He said that the demand was triggered by changing lifestyles.

“We’ve seen massive changes to how our customers work and live,” he said.

“Maven Gig is just one way that we are creating new solutions that go beyond just a car – it gives people the power to choose how they want to drive and work.”

Maven Gig gives members access to a range of new or near-new Holden vehicles. Included in the cost are unlimited-kilometre distance, roadside assistance, comprehensive car insurance and scheduled servicing.

Members can also swap the vehicles depending on their work or needs.

By Neil Dowling