Peer-to-peer car rental

Peer-to-peer car rental (also known as person-to-person car rental and peer-to-peer carsharing) is the process whereby an existing car owner makes their vehicle available for others to rent for short periods of time.

Peer-to-peer car rental is a form of person-to-person lending or collaborative consumption. The business model is closely aligned to traditional car clubs such as Streetcar or Zipcar, but replaces a typical fleet with a ‘virtual’ fleet made up of vehicles from participating owners. With peer-to-peer car rental, participating car owners are able to make money by renting out their vehicle when they are not using it. Participating renters can access nearby and affordable vehicles and pay only for the time they need to use them.

Businesses within this sector typically apply some form of screening of participants (both owners and renters) and a technical solution, usually in the form of a website, that brings these parties together, manages rental bookings and collects payment. Increasingly, an automated form of insurance and breakdown coverage will be applied to rentals that take place through the service in order to protect an owner’s existing insurance coverage.

As with person-to-person lending, enabling technology for this behavior has been the Internet and the adoption of geo-location-based service.

Examples

Australia

Drive My Car Rentals – Launched in December 2008, DriveMyCar was the first operator to successfully commercialise the peer to peer car rental concept. Car owners pay a $25 AUS^[1] ($15 US) annual fee to list their vehicle. Drivers can search and book these vehicles online, with the site arranging the rental agreement, insurance and payments. In 2010 the service introduced a hybrid insurance product that automatically covers an owner's vehicle when rented, costing drivers $10 per day. In late 2010, the company expanded its service from short term car rental to include short term car leasing (1-12 mths) and also entered the insurance replacement vehicle market. The company intends to expand its service into Europe and the U.S. in 2011.

Car Next Door - Founded in March 2012. Car Next Door is the first Neighbour to Neighbour Car Sharing network to provide keyless entry and short term bookings (1 hour minimum) to members cars. It's launching it's pilot program in Melbourne's Fitzroy and St Kilda areas in September 2012.

Germany

Autonetzer – Based in Stuttgart, the company started to test p2p-Carsharing in fall 2010.^[2] Since May 2011 the service is offered throughout Germany. An add-on insurance policy covers any kind of accident during the rental period regardless of the car owner's own insurance.

Nachbarschaftsauto – Based in Berlin, Nachbarschaftsauto was founded mid 2010. Nachbarschaftsauto enables safe and simple neighbor-to-neighbor carsharing. The company's website is online since March 1, 2011.^[3][4][5] Nachbarschaftsauto has developed an innovative liability insurance concept that has been adapted throughout the p2p car rental industry in Germany. As of 2012, Nachbarschaftsauto has close to 1000 vehicles available for rent in Germany.^[6]

RentMyCar – Based in Konstanz as well as New York, their peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace was the world's first.^[7][8][9] The service launched in May 2001. The company offered free listings of personally owned car rentals on a marketplace type platform that allows car owners and potential renters to interact with each other and to negotiate their own rental rates and terms. The company provided a Virtual Vehicle Inspection Sticker (VVIS), a master keycard and personal carsharing search engine, and a business method using neighborhood managers. About 800 vehicles were offered for rental in its first two years.^[10]

Rent-n-roll - Based in Hamburg, this company offers p2p-carsharing throughout Germany. It's possible for users to rent cars online^[11] and via an iPhone app.^[12] Rent-n-roll runs a scientific project in Geislingen with the University of Applied Sciences in Geislingen-Nürtingen to examine private carsharing in an area that is no centre of population.^[13]

Tamyca – Short for "Take My Car," Tamyca started in November 2010 as Germany's first peer-to-peer carsharing network.^[14] Based in Aachen, Tamyca has a network of more than 1000 vehicles available for rental throughout Germany.

Netherlands

SnappCar.nl is a fast growing platform with a focus on the unburdening of customers. It offers full insurance, support, break down cover and automated payments.

MyWheels.nl offers P2P carsharing from an idealistic, non profit approach. Car owners need to arrange a specific carsharing insurance themselves. Mywheels co-operates with wheels4all, a conventional carsharing company.

France

Livop.fr – Started in September 2010, this is the first P2P carsharing in France with no key exchange.

DEways – Offers free membership and secured, prepayed payments.

CityzenCar – Founded in February 2011, by Nicolas Le Douarec, David Laval and Guillaume Vankerrebroeck, cofounders of Mobizen, CityzenCar is a social network aiming at connecting people in carsharing. It offers a single insurance policy to cover their drivers during rentals and doesn't require a key exchange with the Cityzen Box system.

Buzzcar – Founded in April 2011 by Robin Chase, cofounder of Zipcar. Users find and reserve vehicles using the iPhone app or a computer. Buzzcar requires a key exchange, whether in person or at a pre-arranged drop spot.

Voiturelib - Started in December 2010, offers comprehensive insurance cover, secure payments, and social networking features. Voiturelib requires owner and renter to meet in person to exchange keys and sign the downloaded contract. The service is also available on the App Store and on the Google Play Store.

United Kingdom

WhipCar – The world's largest peer-to-peer car club.^[15][16] They offer a bespoke, fully integrated insurance product, 24/7 customer support, break down cover on all bookings made and automated screening of all drivers and car owners who join the service. Whipcar differ from a conventional car club in that there are no membership fees and owners and drivers meet and hand over the keys directly. WhipCar raised venture capital funding from Delta Partners in October 2009. The service has over 40 makes of car available to rent at any time and is present in over 450 towns and cities across the UK. Within six months of launch, WhipCar had over 1,000 cars available to rent.^[17][18]

USA

RelayRides – RelayRides launched an initial pilot in Boston in June 2010.^[16] Their headquarters were relocated from Boston to San Francisco in early 2011, although they continue to operate in the Cambridge area. They are the first company to attempt to integrate the existing black box technology from car clubs into private car owner vehicles, with a business model closely aligned to that of car clubs.^[19] RelayRides offers a single insurance policy to cover their drivers during rentals and claim to allow car owners to earn up to $8,000 a year by renting out their cars.^[20][21][22]

Getaround – Based in San Francisco.^[23] Getaround uses web interface, smart phone and social graph technology to facilitate person-to-person car rental. They offer a product called "The Getaround Carkit", which enables keyless entry to a converted vehicle through the ability of a driver or renter to unlock a vehicle through their smartphone. Getaround launched in May 2011, and won the TechCrunch "Disrupt NYC" award.^[24] Currently they list cars in the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego and Portland,OR.

Sprideshare – Based in San Francisco. Sprideshare is set to a launch a pilot scheme in collaboration with City Car Share in late 2011.^[25] Their model is akin to RelayRides, requiring vehicles to be fitted with technology which enables them to be remotely unlocked. They have faced a major insurance barrier, rooted in California insurance law, but worked with California State Assembly member Dave Jones to create Assembly Bill 1871, which has changed insurance law to permit remuneration for personal vehicle sharing.^{[citation needed]}

Go-op – Pittsburgh based start-up which is developing an online system for vehicle sharing that is environmentally friendly and provides revenue to car owners.^[26]

Jolly Wheels – Originated in New York City in December 2005 and introduced the peer-to-peer rental concept in 2009, with over 300 locations across the United States.^{[27][citation needed]}

Wheelz - Wheelz is the first peer-to-peer carsharing service exclusive to college campuses, requiring a university email address for sign-up.^[28] Wheelz was launched at Stanford University in September 2011, and has since expanded to the University of California, Berkeley as well.^[29] As of March 2011, there are plans to expand the service to the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles. In February 2012, Wheelz entered a partnership with Zipcar, which provides traditional, non-peer-to-peer carsharing services.^[30]

Canada

Communauto – Communauto pioneered carsharing in North America, and is in the process of launching their P2P program.

Sweden

FlexiDrive - Launched in July 2011.

Spain

MovoMovo - Launched in May 2011.

Social Car - Launched in January 2011 and offers its service since July 2011, the first peer to peer carsharing company in Spain.

Slovenia

PosodiAvto - Launched in 2012, the first person to person car rental service in Slovenia.

Timeline

• May 2001 – RentMyCar launches the first peer to peer carsharing marketplace.
• Oct 2008 – Drive My Car Rentals – launches peer to peer car rental service in Australia
• April 2010 – Whipcar launches peer-to-peer car rental service in London, UK.
• May 2010 – Drive My Car Rentals – website and service redesign – introduction of hybrid insurance policy product that works in conjunction with the owners existing car insurance.
• June 2010 – RelayRides launches Beta product in Boston
• November 2010 – tamyca launches all over Germany
• December 2010 – Getaround launches Beta product in San Francisco
• December 2010 – Voiturelib launches in France
• Early 2011 – Sprideshare set to launch in San Francisco
• Early 2011 – JustShareIt set to launch in California
• June 2011 - Rent'n'roll launches all over Germany
• July 2011 - Social Car launches peer to peer car rental all over Spain
• September 2011 - Wheelz launches at Stanford University

See also

Sustainable development portal

References

External links

• Carpool / Rideshare savings calculator
• Would you loan your neighbor the keys to your car? - The Independent (UK)

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