Hello! My name is Bill Huffhine and I’m the publisher of Carshare Chronicles. I’m also a Turo All-Star and Power Host managing a fleet of vehicles in Metro Detroit. I began my Turo journey in January, 2018 with one car, quickly scaled to 20 cars, and then retired from my executive business development position in the media industry to begin a portfolio of businesses. I’m in the process of scaling down my Turo business to focus my energy on travel, coaching, and publishing.
This newsletter was created, spontaneously, upon request from a visionary fellow Turo host (Thanks Roshan!) who saw a need for all of us working in this industry to be regularly updated on changes occurring within our chosen hosting platforms, changes in the industry as a whole, and best practices from successful hosts. Thanks for subscribing! Happy to have you as a reader.
What To Expect as a Subscriber
Every week a new issue of the newsletter will be produced. You’ll be able to read the newsletter here online any time you like. If you’ve subscribed with your email address, you’ll also receive the newsletter via email.
Free Subscribers:
Our free subscribers will be able to see limited content such as one or two best practices articles each week.
Paid Subscribers:
A paid subscription to Carshare Chronicles is $5.00 per month, automatically charged to your credit card on file. As a paid subscriber you will have full access to all articles including the best practices articles as well as a weekly digest of news from around the carshare industry and updates and changes within individual carshare platforms such as Turo, Getaround, and Hyrecar. Paid subscribers will also have full access to a discussion forum right here on the Carshare Chronicles site. Paid subscribers may cancel their subscription at any time.
Weekly News Wrap Up
Each week we’ll bring you the latest news, information and updates from across the carshare industry. Here’s a sample of what you can expect.
Tampa International Airport approves deal with peer-to-peer car-sharing company
Car sharing at Tampa International Airport has gotten a little easier, thanks to a new deal between the airport and car-sharing company Turo. First reported by the Tampa Bay Times, the new agreement comes after a years-long legal battle between Turo and the Tampa airport. (Read More)
Shark Bites: Demand for Used Cars Is Driving This Stock Higher
HYRE is an innovative car-sharing platform that allows car owners to rent their cars to local rideshare drivers, food delivery drivers, or other services. HYRE provides insurance and helps to match the right car to the right driver. While the service has worked well and there was 84% year over year revenue growth in the third quarter, the biggest problem is that there is not a sufficient supply of cars. (Read More)
Global Carsharing Telematics Market Report 2021-2025
The carsharing market is currently in a phase of growth which is expected to continue in the coming years. The market has managed to grow despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analyst estimates that the total number of carsharing members worldwide reached 71.9 million at the end of 2020. (Read More)
Massachusetts Supreme Court issues confusing decision on Section 230
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed down a confusing decision in a case involving whether a peer-to-peer car rental service was subject to airport rental car regulations, or exempt because it was merely an online platform facilitating the speech of others. The Court affirmed the lower court’s injunction preventing the service, Turo, from continuing to operate at Boston Logan International Airport, with slight modifications. (Read More)
Tesla Car Share Program Expands Services to Flagstaff/Phoenix for Personal, Business Travel in Arizona
Arizonans are often faced with a hurdle when traveling between Phoenix and Flagstaff because it’s too close to fly, but too far to use a traditional rideshare company like Uber. A new service unlike anything else in the U.S. just launched in Phoenix to address this challenge. Starting May 6, Arizonans will be able to travel seamlessly from Phoenix to Flagstaff thanks to an innovative new premium corridor travel solution called Falcon Line. (Read More)
Rental car shortage is a boon for Turo, the Airbnb of cars
Rental car companies have been slashing their fleets during the pandemic, but now that travel is picking up again supply is tight and prices are sky-high. That's a great opportunity for Turo, a sort of Airbnb for car rentals — which has been growing rapidly as more car owners use its app to rent out their vehicles. (Read More)
Savva Rent a Car Sues Getaround for Alleged Insurance-Related Fraudulent Business Practices
Savva, a family-owned car rental company serving Southern California, has filed a civil lawsuit against car rental marketplace Getaround Inc., the company announced on March 24. The lawsuit alleges that Getaround used fraudulent business practices to deny over 100 insurance claims by Savva for vehicles rented through Getaround's platform. (Read More)
Platform Policy Changes
Turo Changes No-Show Cancellation Policy
Until May of this year Turo hosts had the ability to cancel a reservation for “no show” at 30 minutes past the trip start time without providing guests advance notice of the cancellation, and be paid partial earnings for the trip. The new policy requires hosts to notify guests at the 30 minute mark that the reservation will be cancelled in 15 minutes if they do not arrive. (Read More)
This Week’s Turo FAQ
Q. One of my cars was just in a bad accident. The driver was not the authorized driver on the reservation. Am I okay?
A. Yes, you should be fine provided you followed the check-in procedures and confirmed that the person on the reservation picked up the vehicle. You can’t control what guests do, or who they let drive, once they take the vehicle.
Q. Am I allowed to host vehicles owned by other people and registered in other states?
A. Yes, as long as the registration is current and you have some sort of documentation proving that you are hosting the vehicle on the platform with the owner’s permission.
Q. The guest returned the vehicle but not the key fob. Will I be reimbursed?
A. Yes, you will be fully reimbursed with no deductible in play. Simply file a claim as you would if there was damage. Turo will then ask you to submit an invoice from the dealership for the fob+programming and will pay you accordingly.
Q. My guest left a tip. Is it okay to accept this or would it be considered a Grey Market Transaction?
A. It’s perfectly fine to accept the tip. A Grey Market Transaction is when you bypass the platform reimbursement process and collect money from a guest for an incidental directly connected to a term of the rental agreement.
Q. Why is my Snapsheet damage estimate so low?
A. It always will be, every time, because it is an estimate based only on photos, not physical inspection. Don’t worry. Once you have your Snapsheet estimate, give it to your shop and they will submit supplements to close the gap.
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