Who would have thought that the humble carpooling idea would emerge into a fully fledged, environmentally conscious transportation alternative.

Meet Jayride: the website that allows vehicle owners to put their spare seats up for rent. Well not so much as rent but short term lease.

With its humble beginnings in Auckland, New Zealand some 2 short years ago, Jayride is now the place to go to find a cheap, spare seat in vehicles travelling between towns and cities all over New Zealand and Australia. (more…)

Lucky Alice Springs? Not so sure if the locals feel that way.

ALICE Springs has been selected to be the first aircraft “boneyard” outside the US.

Functioning in the same way as  Pinal Airpark in Arizona, it will cover an area of 110ha and will house 300 planes in the Northern Territory, taking planes being decommissioned from service, that have been  stripped of all their parts like engines, electronics and wiring to be re-cycled.

It will also be a place where aircrafts as big as the A380 can be stored when they are not being used.

According to Alice Springs Airport general manager Katie Cooper the initiative is ‘ground-breaking’  for this part of the world,  but I wonder how ground breaking the locals and environmentalists think it is.

If you’re interested in checking it out,  try one of our free cars and campervans! Transfercar.com.au & Transfercar.co.nz

New Zealand flights look like they could be disrupted for days as ash from the Chilean volcanic eruption drifts across the country.

The Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile began erupting on June 4, with the ash plume drifting thousands of kilometres across the South Atlantic, South Africa, Indian Ocean, Tasmania and now across New Zealand.

More than 60 New Zealand flights have been cancelled and over 7000 passengers have been stranded at Airports over the weekend.

Air New Zealand will continue to fly but at lower altitudes however Jetstar and Quantas have both cancelled a number of flights as the ash cloud drifts closer.

If you are one of the unlucky travellers stuck at an airport right now, visit Transfercar or give us a call as we may be able to find you a free car or campervan to drive!

On the wake of the massive earthquake that hit Christchurch in recent weeks, many families and companies were forced to evacuate and abandon their premises, unable to return indefinitely. As business ground to a halt, accommodation has become a big issue as hotels and backpackers etc were also forced to close their doors.

One of Transfercar’s valued partners, Spaceships Rental Campervans,  were one of the unfortunate rental companies to be hit hard and have now relocated to a new depot that they call “The Castle”:

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Rental car companies are feeling the aftershocks of the Christchurch earthquake in branches nationwide. Entire schedules were disrupted as vehicles went missing due to drivers being unable to drop vehicles off at central city depots.

A number of prominent rental agencies have only just been able to access trapped and damaged stock; relocating vehicles to depots outside of the central city. Issues arose as vehicles that would normally be returned with a full tank of gas came back empty as petrol stations were closed and inaccessible.

A representative from one company mentioned that such a simple thing as cleaning the campervans was impossible as power and water shortages covered most of the city leaving vehicles unable to be groomed for the next occupant. Phone lines and internet access are down leaving companies unable to operate and functioning on mobiles.

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The Hertz Corporation has its eyes set on a greener future for the rental car industry, but has admitted that there is no magic bullet to achieve this.

“There is not a single solution to the green issue,” Hertz International president Michel Taride told e-Travel Blackboard.

In Sydney for the announcement of Hertz’s acquisition of Ace Rental cars and alliance with Apollo Motorhomes, Mr Taride said “the move to electric cars is not a simple process”, but added that the elements required for its success “are all converging”.

Read the full article at Travel Blackboard