Carpool and Car Share

Fight rising petrol prices – carpool and save on parking!

Now is the time to start saving on petrol costs - grab a friend and enjoy the drive into town together.

Carpooling is a breeze, especially if you already know someone from your neighborhood, a coworker, or a family member who also heads into town.

Why carpool?

If you’re not convinced that carpooling is right for you, think about this.

• You’ll save money – you’ll save on petrol, parking fees and wear and tear on your vehicle.
• It’s more sociable – you can make new friends or create stronger bonds with colleagues when you travel together.
• Makes you more mobile – if you don’t have a car or can’t drive, joining a carpool gives you another convenient transport option.
• It’s kinder to the environment - carpooling means fewer cars on the road, which means less traffic congestion and less damage to the environment.

Carpool carparks in Nelson

The Council has a great carpool system that rewards you with free parking in prime city locations. All you need to do is register your carpool with Nelson City Council.

It’s super easy to sign up. You can do it via the link below or just call in to see Customer Service at Civic House.  Each person registered gets a permit that must be displayed on the dashboard of the car you carpool in that day.

Parking spaces in the three designated areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If any spots are still open by 10am, they will then be available for general public use.

Locations

There are three parking locations in the City:

• Haven Road by ANZAC Park,
• Harley Street, off Bridge Street,
• Kerr Street, by Smiths City,

How to Qualify for Carpooling

1. There must be 2 or more people in each group
2. There must be 2 or more vehicles in each group
3. Applicants must work in the Nelson CBD

Helping your carpool to run smoothly

Council has a pamphlet available with lots of handy hints for getting your carpool up and running efficiently.  It lays out some things you need to discuss with your group. For instance:

Decide who will drive (and whether you take turns), drop off and pick up points, if it’s okay to stop along the way, how long you’ll wait for latecomers, a backup plan in case of emergency, how to share the costs, whether eating, drinking or music is allowed during your commute.

It’s important to sort out these ground rules ahead of time. Give your carpool a couple of weeks for a good routine to establish. 

Now is the time to start saving on petrol costs - grab a friend and ride into town together!

Carpooling is easy, especially if you already know someone from your neighbourhood, a workmate, or a family member who also comes to town. Join up together and carpool into the Nelson CBD.

How to register for a free carpool space

Online

You can sign up online with your carpooling group for a free parking space in central Nelson. You'll need to have the required information on all the members of your carpool on hand to fill out the online form. Register online for a free carpool space.

By email or post

Download a registration form for a free carpool space, fill it out and return it by email, post it to Nelson City Council, POB 645, Nelson or drop it in to Customer Service, Civic House. Directions are on the form. Download the Free Carpool Space Registration Form (81KB PDF)

By phone

Call 03 546 0200 to request a copy of the registration form.

Renewing an existing registration?

Fill out the same registration form online, using the same directions, but tick the 'Renewal' box.

Questions?

Please email or phone 03 546 0200.

Car Share Operation Policy

Car share schemes provide members with convenient access to vehicles which are
available to rent by the hour. These rental vehicles are available 24/7 to members, and
are often parked on the street or in public car parks.

This policy outlines the assessment criteria and process for organisations applying to
Council to become approved car share providers. Approval of a car share organisation
provides scope for Council to reserve designated car parking spaces, as well as grant other
general parking concessions, for vehicles which are part of the applicable car share
scheme.

This policy also provides guidance to Council in making decisions regarding the designated
car parking spaces and other general parking concessions for car share vehicles under the
Council's Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2023 (Bylaw).

This policy implements a commitment in the Parking Strategy 2022 to develop operational
guidelines for car sharing in Nelson, and it is consistent with the Bylaw.

Car Share Operation Policy (942KB PDF)