Karmo wins AI-powered operations award in Optimizers

Karmo has won the AI-Powered Operations Award at the 2026 Optimizers Awards, placing the Australian car subscription provider alongside winners including USPS, Zipcar and DPD Group UK.

The award recognised Karmo's use of artificial intelligence in procurement, fleet planning and customer operations. Organisers said the company more than doubled its fleet while increasing vehicle utilisation to 91% from 89%.

The Optimizers Awards were announced by Autofleet, a fleet management software company owned by Element Fleet Management. The program highlights fleet and mobility operators that have reported measurable operational results in areas including routing, utilisation, automation and electrification.

Founded in 2019, Karmo describes itself as Australia's largest car subscription provider. It offers vehicle access through subscription arrangements for consumer and business customers rather than traditional ownership.

Industry peers

This year's other recipients reflect the range of operators recognised. USPS won Best Route Optimization after reducing transportation spend by USD $1.7 billion and cutting unplanned trips by 40%. DPD Group UK received the Rising Star in Mobility Operations award after increasing peak fleet utilisation to 84% from 76% and removing 908 vehicles from service.

Zipcar took the Best Fleet Operations award for changes to vehicle cleaning and field processes across its North American network. Dollaride won Fleet Optimization Pioneers for an electric vehicle service model aimed at community transit operators, and Kari received The Impact Award for managing more than 250,000 rides a year with no dispatchers and a part-time operations team of two.

Submissions came from a range of geographies, business models and operating structures, according to the organiser. A common theme was the use of optimisation as a business tool rather than simply a back-office function.

For Karmo, the recognition reflects a period of growth in a market where operators have been under pressure to make better use of assets and manage vehicle costs closely. Higher utilisation can improve fleet returns, while procurement and lifecycle decisions can directly affect margins in subscription and shared mobility businesses.

Karmo was recognised specifically for applying AI to market tracking, vehicle lifecycle decisions and customer service planning. According to the award description, that approach supported expansion without a decline in vehicle usage rates.

Autofleet used the awards to highlight how operators are applying automation and predictive tools across day-to-day operations. It said the strongest entries showed business impact across cost control, scalability, sustainability and customer experience.

"What made these winners stand out wasn't just the results they achieved, but the creativity and operational discipline behind them," said Sima Megrel Shubzak, VP Marketing, Autofleet.

She also pointed to the broader operational pressures facing the sector. "Every fleet or mobility operator faces the same challenge: how to create reliability in an environment filled with constant change. The winners demonstrate what is possible when operational excellence becomes a strategic advantage," said Shubzak.

The recognition adds to a run of business accolades for Karmo in Australia. The company was previously named a finalist in the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Business Awards in the ANZ High-Growth Business category, ranked No. 35 in the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 and No. 12 in SmartCompany's Smart50.

Karmo was co-founded by Nick Boucher and Sam Zammit. The business operates in a vehicle access market that has drawn interest from consumers and companies looking for alternatives to long-term ownership or leasing commitments.

The latest award places Karmo among a global group of fleet and mobility operators recognised for using data, automation and planning tools to improve how vehicles are deployed and managed.