Free2Move Launches Monthly Subscription Service in D.C.
With an objective to simplify mobility for its customers with tailor-made solutions for the world of tomorrow, Free2Move is 100% digital and includes car sharing, ride sharing, parking access, and rental services, in an app with on-demand access. The Car On Demand addition adds month-to-month vehicle access with no hidden fees, the company announced. (Read More)
Hawaii residents are renting out their cars during rental shortage. Now, officials are cracking down
It's no secret that Hawaii has been experiencing a rental car shortage, driving visitors to rent U-Hauls or pay sky-high prices for the few options available. Some vacationers have turned to peer-to-peer car sharing apps like Turo — but now, these car rental businesses are becoming a problem. (Read More)
New car share service drives into Victoria this weekend
Victoria’s increased urban density, environmental bent and active-transit network have set the stage for a new car-share program to hit the streets. With its focus squarely on Victoria, rather than the region, and outlets at the University of Victoria and Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus, Vancouver-based Evo Car Share believes it has the recipe for success in the city. (Read More)
Car-Sharing Firm Getaround Settles Over Tax Bill, Customer Damage and Thefts
Getaround Inc. will pay $950,000 to Washington, D.C. and revise its business practices after allegations that it misrepresented the benefits and nature of its car sharing services and failed to pay city sales taxes, officials said on Friday. The Softbank-backed San Francisco-based online company had operated without a license in the U.S capital, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine said in a statement. (Read More)
Expedia Survey: Car Renters Want Flexibility, Enhanced Cleaning
New research from Expedia Group reveals shifting views on travel, including positive sentiment on vaccine passports, increased budgets, and an enduring demand for safety and financial security. The Traveler Value Index for Car Rental examined the views of 8,000 people across eight countries to learn their values and expectations as the pandemic becomes more controlled in many parts of the world. (Read More)
Stretch your Dollar: Navigate the rental ‘car-pocalypse’ with vehicle-sharing services
Turo CMO Andrew Mok said, “In some of these markets where the car rental crunch is the worst, like in Hawaii, like in Anchorage, Alaska, we’re finding our hosts are stepping in and they’re just sharing their idle cars that otherwise would just be sitting there. And travelers are getting access to them.” (Read More)
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Last Week’s Headlines
Alarming spike in car thefts at Honolulu airport’s parking garage prompts security questions
There has been a spike in car thefts at Honolulu’s airport with a particular increase in vehicles used by car sharing companies like Turo. In just one week, seven cars were stolen from the garage. And five of those were being rented out to visitors. The Turo cars are mixed in with the residents’ vehicles. But one thing makes them stand out: Many have lock boxes. (Read More)
Turo car stolen from parking garage
Video footage from the garage, located at 160 S. Millward St., showed the suspect opening doors and stealing items at 10:30 p.m. July 19, a police media release stated. Then, two hours later, the suspect returned to the garage and drove off in an unlocked 2019 black Nissan Armada. That SUV was being rented using Turo, Jackson police Lt. Russ Ruschill said, and the renter left the keys in the car. (Read More)
A car-sharing program that’s plugged into equity and the environment
Electric cars won’t do much to reduce CO2 emissions if most people can’t afford them. And even if every car became electric overnight, we’d still have to contend with our worsening problem of road congestion.nBut what if you could regularly use an electric car to get around without having to buy one? What if, in addition to promoting EV sales as it does now, the federal government were to fund electric-car-sharing programs? (Read More)
Can't find a rental car this summer? What you can do instead
Nguyen was excited to find plenty of car options available on this service's website — many of them with significantly lower rates than your average rental car — and decided to take the service for a test drive. This article compares the car-sharing experience across four platforms. (Read More)
Rental Car Shortage Means Extra Cash For Some Montanans
Visiting Glacier National Park had been on Jim Schneider’s bucket list for years. So, he and his wife booked flights to Montana from Omaha, Nebraska and rented a cabin in June to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. But a few months before the flight Schneider realized they hadn’t reserved a car. “There was not a rental car to be found anywhere around Kalispell,” Schneider says. (Read More)
Car sharing gains traction in Maine
Douglas Mackell was nearing his last leg as an Uber driver in 2019 when one of his passengers introduced him to a new word. “Turo,” the passenger said. “I’m taking your Uber to pick up my Turo.” Turo, Mackell learned, is one of many car-sharing apps, such as Getaround, Avail and Car2Go, that allow car owners to rent their car online when they aren’t using it – essentially the airbnb for cars. (Read More)
Benefits of Car-Sharing Programs
Many people have been in the recent economic depression, thinking about going about monthly car payments. Some are suffering from pricey car maintenance services. For some people, it is wise to apply for a car loan to help finance a vehicle: you can, however, opt for car sharing, which is significantly proving to be an ideal option. What are the benefits of car sharing? (Read More)
Missoula airport seeks solutions to car rental shortage, price increases
A national rental car shortage has created challenges for travelers over the past few months, and those able to find a vehicle are often paying twice as much as before the pandemic. While passengers arriving at Missoula International Airport aren’t alone in their frustrations over a lack of rental car options, the airport is taking steps it hopes will help alleviate the challenges. (Read More)
What the Tech? App of the day: Turo
When was the last time you tried to rent a car? When airports and travel shut down during the early months of the pandemic, car rental companies parked or even sold much of their fleet. Hertz even filed for bankruptcy due to having so many vehicles and being unable to rent them. Fast forward to the spring/summer of 2021 and those car rental agencies are feeling the crunch. There are fewer cars on the lots and prices have jumped sharply due to increased demand. How would you feel about renting the personal car of a stranger? (Read More)
Halo Uses Remote Operations To Offer Summoned Carshare; Might Tesla Do It With Starlink?
A new service in Las Vegas called Halo allows customers to summon a rental car to them. The car is remotely driven by a human over the 5G data network, and dropped off for the customer to use as a rental car driven by the customer. When the customer is done, the remote operators take it back to base or the next customer. (Read More)