Or don’t dump your ZipCar, I don’t care.* Anyway, the news of the day is the arrival of RelayRides, straight outta the Boston, Mass 02134 area. So, next time you need a car, you just use your RelayRides card to rent your neighbor’s ride.
So it’s like ZipCar but a little different. And actually, it’s just like San Francisco-based GetAround.
Max here, with the biggest Apple monitor in all Christendom, wants to tell you all about. She realllllly wants to. Check the video
Uh, Max honey? You’re giving us about a 9 – could you drop that down to a 4 on the next take? Oh there is no second take? Oh, O.K., well, that’s a wrap.
Now sure, you can say how RelayRides sucks, the way they do on the Yelp in the Boston Area but Google just put a lot of money into RR, so the idea can’t be all that crazy, right?
Now, check their new blog to find out “Why a RelayRides Prius is much more green than any other Prius”
I’ll tell you, I could sign up my giant Toyota for this program but:
1. It’s probably too old;
2. You’d need to baby it, you can’t just floor it to go up a hill with a quickness; and
3. Don’t like the idea of leaving the keys inside the car(!). Baby, if you want to pimp my ride or whatever the kids call car theft these days, you’re going to need a big tow truck or a good way of getting my keys from me. I’m thinking that leaving my keys in my car along with a little sign on the windshield telling tout le Monde that I left my keys in my car, well that’s one step removed from Gone in 60 Seconds followed by a Midnight Run for The Border. The 415 is full of vultures, vultures everywhere, everywhere, non?
But you, you have a brand new Mini Cooper or Toyota Prius with an automatic, right? Or, conversely, you want to rent one for an hour to make a TJ’s run every now and then, right?
Well then, get all the deets, below.
*ZipCar is a little sneaky about how they automatically renew your membership, IMO. I mean, really, they’re just another rent-a-car outfit, right? If I were a cheesy MBA-type running ZipCar, at least I’d have a reminder email go out to people before membership renewal, but that’s why I’m not a cheesy MBA-type running ZipCar. The same thing with NetFlix, when they keep your money when you cancel. The 415 is full of vultures, vultures everywhere, everywhere, non?
“RelayRides: Like Zipcar without the car fleet”
“Car-Sharing Services Cut Cost of Ownership”
“Teaming up with the Joneses”
“Make money letting others drive your car”
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2010 – RelayRides, the world’s first neighbor-to-neighbor carsharing service, is launching in San Francisco on December 14, powered by funding from August Capital and Google Ventures. RelayRides provides car owners a user-friendly platform to safely lend their cars to their neighbors – and make money while providing convenient, affordable access to neighbors who need the occasional use of vehicles. Rather than putting new cars on the road like other carsharing services, RelayRides goes the eco-friendly route by leveraging existing, often idle autos. Neighbors help each other as car owners recover some of the costs of owning an expensive asset while providing a new, convenient transportation option for those in need of a car.
Effective today, car owners in San Francisco can set their car’s hourly and daily rates and make them available to pre-screened RelayRides members. For those who need occasional access to a car for errands or a day trip, RelayRides offers competitive rates, and is free to join. Rates start at just $6 per hour and include gas and insurance. A $1 million insurance policy is in effect during each reservation to provide peace of mind for car owners. RelayRides provides in-vehicle technology and an online reservation system that enables independent access via smartcard to borrowers. The in-vehicle technology tracks usage and provides vehicle security.
“Consumers are increasingly rejecting traditional forms of ownership, preferring to borrow rather than buy. RelayRides builds on this changing consumer behavior by enabling neighbors to support each other, both financially and practically,” comments Shelby Clark, founder and CEO of RelayRides.
When RelayRides launched in the Boston area earlier this year, its rapid adoption by auto owners and those in need of a car demonstrated its viability. The company has successfully recruited owners with basic vehicles such as Honda Civics as well as higher-end Porsches and Jaguars. “It’s the perfect thing for me,” says Anthony Burdi, a 2009 Prius owner in Boston. “It’s a good way to earn revenue from my car when I’m not using it, which helps me pay for gas, insurance and other running costs. At the same time, I’m helping a neighbor by providing them access to a car. I never thought of it and kind of wish I had, because it’s a great business to be in.”
“Car sharing between neighbors is great for San Francisco, as it will lead to fewer new cars on the road, which will help decrease congestion and pollution. That’s why I’m delighted to make my Prius available via RelayRides – it’s good for me, for my neighbors, and for my city,” comments Caterina Rindi, owner of a Toyota Prius, of San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood.
“Carsharing is a $12.5 billion global market that is thriving in both the U.S. and abroad. RelayRides is the first to bring this global trend to the hyperlocal level,” says Joe Kraus, Partner at Google Ventures and Board Director of RelayRides. “This growth is driven by the fact that carsharing is now a convenient, affordable and sustainable alternative to ownership.”
To learn more and enroll, visit http://www.RelayRides.com.
About RelayRides
RelayRides is the world’s first neighbor-to-neighbor carsharing service. RelayRides enables car owners to make money while providing those in need of a car with affordable access to one. RelayRides is a venture-funded company backed by Google Ventures and August Capital.
More information about RelayRides and its service is available at: http://www.RelayRides.com.
