EVERYTHING IS BETTER
WHEN SHARED
Along with journeys, trails and trips our most commonly asked questions are shared below to show how you can best use Trail Sharing.
Frequently asked questions
Trail Sharing is a platform to allow people to plan and connect in order to arrange transport on many of New Zealand's through trails (trails where you do not finish where you started, and which can be completed in either direction).
Trail Sharing members must agree to our terms and conditions which provide clear structure to the liabilities taken on when borrowing and operating another members vehicle. In addition, connecting members automatically have copies of their drivers licences shared to ensure both parties can be confident of who they are lending to and the eligibility of the other driver.
When arranging a trip on Trail Sharing your journey will follow the steps below:
View the existing trips listed under the trail you are interested in completing,
If there is a suitable trip already listed, connect with the other party (and skip to step 4),
If there is not a suitable trip, list your intended journey and your requirements so another party can contact you,
Once in contact with the other party, confirm the final details of your trip (exact meeting time and a location to swap vehicles which benefits you both),
Meet on the exchange day and swap vehicles,
Drive to your respective trail head (and lock the keys in a lock box attached to the vehicle if you have opted to use them),
If you have opted to return keys on the trail, do so when you cross paths,
Complete your journey in your own time and arrive back to your vehicle without the hassle of having to arrange transport back to the start.
We believe exchanging vehicles before starting your journey, as opposed to after, is the best way to complete a journey on our platform for the following reasons:
If you intend on completing the journey in a different number of days you can both be sure you're that once you start, your vehicle and transport home will already be waiting for you at the end.
It is far easier to keep to your meeting time when driving from home at the start of your journey than after completing your trail. This ensures you have the least amount of time spent waiting for the other party.
Swapping vehicles at the start of the journey ensures you are in a clean and tidy state when using the other persons vehicle. After a few days in the bush you might want to go for a swim before jumping back in your own car!
Swapping vehicles at the start also allows you to arrive back to any treats you have left for yourself (food, clean clothes, ect)
Swapping vehicles in person allows both parties to inspect and document the state of the vehicles before accepting the borrowed vehicle (and the respective liability for its condition).
Swapping vehicles in person removes any stress of having to operate a different vehicle by yourself. If there you have any questions, you can work through these with the owner before having to drive it away.
While we hope many people use this service, there is no guarantee of finding someone for your journey. We recommend trying to make your listing as desireable as possible by: being flexible in trail direction, flexible in vehicle exchange time and dates and if your'e on a shared trail then be open to taking bikes.
Even then, there may not be someone available to help you complete your journey so it is a good idea to have a back up plan sorted. For some of the listed trails there are commercial buses and car relocation companies that service them. Many of these services even have free cancellation policies up until a certain period before your journey date allowing you to have your back up option already sorted while waiting for someone to contact you through Trail Sharing.
The vast majority of people using this service are committed to completing their stated journey. However, there will always be unforeseen circumstances which can affect one or both parties. In the event of one party needing to change their plans we recommend communicating with the other party to try reschedule to another time or date which suits you both.
Most rental car agreements allow additional drivers to be added (sometimes for a fee) so the insurance cover can be extended. Be sure to check the terms of your rental agreement before listing your journey. When adding an additional driver, both the additional driver and renter are typically required to be present together at one of the rental offices. This adds an additional step in the journey so be sure to clearly state the vehicle is a rental and which agency you have used under the 'make, model and year' section when listing your journey.
We are trying to develop partnerships with rental agencies so that in future it may be possible for a copy of your licence, along with the agreement between parties, to be sent to the agency so you can remotely become an additional driver.
If you are selecting a rental car, the following agencies do not have fees for additional drivers (last we checked):
Avis, About, Anzed, A2B, Abuzzy, Alpha, Apex, Ascot, Bay of Islands Campervans, Britz, Budget, Backpacker, Budget Campers, Campa South, Christchurch Car Hire, Escape, Ezi Car, Freedom Campers, Hertz, Jucy, Kea, Kiwi Campers, Maui, McDonalds, NZ Rent A Car, New Zealand Car Rentals, Pegasus, Pod, Quality Car Rentals, Rent a Dent, Rental Car Village, Road Abode, Sleepervans, Snap, Spaceships, Tui, United, Usave, Walkabout, Wilderness.
As part of the pairing process members pass on their drivers licence, phone number and email ensuring contact can be made both before and after the trip. As part of using the Trail Sharing platform members must agree to the terms of use stating they are responsible for the other users vehicle from point of exchange until they have securely locked the vehicle at the pre-designated area. If damage occurs during this period the person operating the vehicle will be responsible for the cost of repair or the excess if the vehicle is insured (the level of insurance is stated prior to booking). Please see section 6 of our platform terms of use for more information.
As part of the connection process both parties are emailed a list of instructions which we encourage you to follow during your journey to ensure everything goes smoothly. The instructions state that when exchanging vehicles you should take photographs of both your own vehicle and the exchanged vehicle so both parties have a record of the conditions of the vehicles as you hand over and accept it, just like when collecting a rental vehicle. Upon securely locking the other persons vehicle in the designated location, you should again photograph the vehicle to record the condition you have left it in.
If any damage is found when picking up your own vehicle, the other party is assumed responsible for the damage, unless they can show photographs suggesting the damage has occurred after they have parked the vehicle e.g due to kea interfering with the vehicle while it was parked. Please see section 6 of our platform terms of use for more information.