Car sharing is a great way to eliminate your need for a personal vehicle while ensuring that you have wheels to travel distances that are too far to bike or walk. (It’s also handy in bad weather too).
Commerical car-sharing services, like Zipcar or Phillycarshare, are perfect solutions for those living in urban areas, but what about those of us living in the suburbs or even rural areas?
Until population creates enough demand for the big car sharing companies to set up shop, peer-to-peer car sharing is a great way to rent cars from the people around you in a completely legal manner.
If you’re interested in setting up a network of shareable cars in your neighborhood, here are some sites that can help:
GetAround: Enables car owners to safely rent out their underutilized cars by the hour to a community of trusted drivers via a website or mobile app.
RelayRides: Not only do RelayRides start at $5/hr with gas and insurance included, but since the cars belong to your neighbors, they’re conveniently located just down the street.
JustShare It: This soon to launch site will also let you rent out other vehicles, such as RVs, boats, or motorcycles.
WhipCar: A UK-based car club that pairs safe drivers with owners who aren’t using their cars. All WhipCars are independently vetted, ensuring that a bad car won’t ruin your day.
Have you ever tried car sharing? Tell us about it in a comment!
NO FEE PEER TO PEER CAR SHARING
The peer to peer car sharing companies listed above CHARGE car owners a commission for each car rental. RentMyCar.com does NOT charge a fee. This type of business model will be more successful than the ones identified above because car owners do NOT want to pay commission fees if they do NOT have to.
Hi David,
Thanks for all of your comments! I agree with you in one sense: if people have a choice between identical services for car sharing they’ll opt for the free service every time. However, I see that while you don’t charge members to list their car or search your site, there are plenty of additional “fees” should they want an enhanced listing, temporary insurance coverage, or to take advantage of the Virtual Vehicle Rental Sticker (VVRS) system you mentioned. I believe the nominal fees associated with the sites listed in this post are justified because of the comprehensive service and legal assurance they provide. In any case it sounds like you are very sure of your vision, and I look forward to watching your site develop.
Beth