Claudio Scali uses Uber Carshare to get the kids to school, and yummy vegan cookies to the community

Claudio Scali is a small business owner living in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs with his three kids. He uses Uber Carshare to get his kids to school during the week and his delicious vegan cookies to Farmers’s Markets on the weekends. Check out ‘The C Word’ on instagram and make sure to pick up a cookie and say ‘Hi’ if you’re in Bondi on a Saturday!

Since signing up to Uber Carshare in 2014, Claudio has had quite the journey. Six years later, we chatted to him about his experience using the platform.

Claudio first started borrowing small cars to transport his three kids to and from school.  The kids would otherwise have to walk 20 minutes each way to get there, so a quick trip in a shared car is perfect.

There is often chat amongst the parents in the schoolyard, with parents asking about the variety of cars he rolls up in every week. Sometimes Claudio even rents convertibles, getting his kids home in style!

In 2016, Claudio's friend offered him a car to buy for a great price.  Owning a car worked well for a few years, but he then decided to sell his car and return to the sharing economy.

Claudio's vegan cookie business, 'The C Word', makes and supplies organic plant-based vegan cookies to the Eastern Suburbs Community and retailers.  The farmer’s markets are my playground,” says Claudio - but he also wholesales to cafes and delis across Sydney and has plans to expand Australia-wide.

Having a local van at his disposal to transport all of his equipment and cookies to the markets really works for Claudio.

“I couldn't get my cookies and all of the stall equipment to the markets if I didn't have access to a van," says Claudio.

He enjoys having chats about Uber Carshare with market-goers, with people often asking him ‘Whose van have you got this week?”.

Claudio likes the financial benefits of car-sharing and thinks Uber Carshare is really useful for small businesses.  Getting a new business venture off the ground can be expensive. A new van can cost upwards of $15,000 to buy, and being able to rent a low-cost local van a couple of times a week without the upfront price tag can really help out.  Claudio has found vans around his local area at really reasonable rates.

“The vans I usually borrow cost around $11 for an hour and $45 for a day.  They are usually parked really close to where I live, which makes the experience easy and convenient”.

So if you are ever around the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, you can find Claudio at the Bondi Farmers Markets. Pop by and say g’day!