Angelika Americans generally have a rather relaxed attitude towards their cars. A car is a utility item that reliably and comfortably gets you to work or from point A to point B. Most people don't mind if their car gets a few scratches and might even bump into the bumper of the car in front or behind of them while parking. Renting cars is widespread because, to cover the large distances in the country, flying is often the fastest mode of transportation, and then people simply rent a car from one of the major car rental companies on site. Additionally, there are often no real alternatives, as public transportation leaves much to be desired in many areas. Since there is significant competition among car rental companies like Hertz, Alamo, Avis, or Dollar, customers can often enjoy good deals. Small cars often cost less than twenty dollars per day.
For several years now, the concept of "carsharing" has become established in larger American cities like Boston, New York, Portland, and San Francisco. It was designed especially for people who need a car only for a short time (for example, for several hours). The cars from carsharing companies are not picked up at large central locations like airports but are parked locally in various neighborhoods of the city. The customer picks up the car at the most convenient location for them, without having to deal with any annoying rental service staff about purchasing additional insurance packages.
Reservations are usually done via the internet. You enter when and for how long you want the car and where you will pick it up. The fleet typically has only a limited selection of car types. In San Francisco, hybrid cars seem to dominate. Here in San Francisco, we have two car sharing companies, Zipcar and City Car Share. To book a car from Zipcar or City Car Share, the customer must first sign up and become a member. Each company has different prices and plans. For example, at Zipcar in San Francisco, membership costs $60 per year without a monthly obligation to rent a Zipcar. Renting a car then costs $7.75 per hour, with insurance, gas, and 180 free miles included. At Zipcar, the Zipcard opens the car; you simply hold the card up to the windshield, and a small reader scans the card code.
Now you will say, "That's all old news!" and you are of course right, the idea of "carsharing" comes from Europe and has long been established there. But I actually wanted to report on a new idea. Recently, a brochure from Relay Rides came to our house. These clever foxes thought: Not everyone drives their car 24 hours a day, so why not offer a service that helps neighbors lend their cars to each other? "Relay Rides" brings lenders and borrowers together and provides insurance for both parties, as well as technology to eliminate the hassle of handing over keys.
If an owner wants to rent out their car, they sign up with "Relay Rides" and set the price. The older the car being rented out, the less the car owner is allowed to charge. "Relay Rides" then retains 15% of the amount plus an additional fee for insurance. gas and 20 free miles per hour or 160 miles per day are included.
If there's an accident, the car owner doesn't need to worry about their insurance premium increasing, because everything is handled through Relay Rides' insurance. The car owner, of course, keeps their regular insurance, as Relay Rides only insures renters on trips. To help the renter finding cars more easily, removable large stickers with the slogan "Borrow my Car" are placed on it. Anyone can make their car available as long as it meets standard safety regulations. However, we can no longer lend out our old second car "Perly Perlman" because it doesn't have electronic central locking. We still have to open the doors the old-fashioned way with a key, and that is not compatible with Relay Rides' technology. We are curious to see if this idea will catch on. Recently, we have been seeing more cars with the "Borrow My Car" sticker, so the business seems to be getting off to a good start.
Greetings from the land of never-ending ideas:
Angelika & Michael