Peer-to-Peer Carsharing Gains Popularity
| July 1, 2011 | Posted by Sandie under Uncategorized |
Car sharing as a concept in the auto industry has been gaining popularity over the past year. Out of the more than 1 billion cars in the world, approximately 250 million sit idle 93 percent of the time. It’s no wonder why startups across the globe are taking advantage of the opportunity to turn idle vehicles into rental cars.
Startup companies vying for a space on the car-sharing stage are trying to change peoples’ perceptions of car ownership. By making groups of cars available for rent, these companies are trying to shift the norm from owning one’s own personal vehicle to making use of a shared network of cars.
How does the peer-to-peer car sharing process work? Both renters and sharers sign up on the web. They either make their car available or express their desire to rent from others. Each car owner comes up with his own hourly rate, and the web company is responsible for covering the insurance.
What makes new car sharing sites such as Getaround and Buzzcar different from already existing car sharing companies such as ZipCar is that they are looking to expand the fleet of cars available to users. By turning every single idle vehicle into a vehicle that’s available for rent, both car owners and car renters get an opportunity to reap the benefits.
According to Buzzcar’s founder, Robin Chase, “People who live in tiny towns or out in rural areas can add their cars into the network. Then, when a neighbor needs a pickup, or their adult children are visiting and they need another car, or their own car in out of commission, they can rent a neighbors car.”
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