TheAge.com.au:
Monique Conheady is part of a new breed of entrepreneur - young, tech-savvy and only interested in running an environmentally sustainable company.
She concedes that not even her own father, a successful small businessman in her home town of Woomelang in north-western Victoria (population 300), understands what she and her company does.
He is not alone. Most Australians haven’t heard of the concept of car sharing. Yet, 18 months after Conheady and 3 others founded Flo Carshare, the Melbourne-based company is estimated to be worth more than $1 million.
Under the guidance of Conheady as general manager, the business is on the cusp of a growth spurt: its fleet of vehicles will increase by more than 350% by mid-next year as it expands along the east coast. There are plans for New Zealand soon after.
Often confused with car-pooling, car sharing is a clever variation on short-term car rental and is designed to suit the needs of residents and small business owners who need occasional access to a car but don’t want the substantial costs involved in buying and running a vehicle. Plus there’s the bother of finding a car park in congested inner Melbourne.
Members who need a car for an hour or more simply log on to the internet and book, then walk to a car at a designated parking spot (which are sprinkled through inner-city Melbourne), use a smart card to open the vehicle, and drive away.
Subscribe 
