Uber has partnered with startup Getaround to offer carsharing on its platform, in addition to offering bikesharing and tickets for public transport in an effort to become a multi-modal platform.
Uber and Getaround announced last week that Uber customers in San Francisco will be able to instantly find and rent cars shared on Getaround using the Uber app. The addition is called Uber Rent and will initially roll out in San Francisco.
The addition to Uber’s service continues a trend of mobility providers adding variety to their platforms to meet consumer needs. General Motors funnels off-lease vehicles into its car-sharing services, multiple OEMs are offering flexible subscriptions services, and Ford Motor Co. announced this week that it will be offering non-emergency transportation services.
All of these services offer a multi-modal approach, with some businesses like Daimler-owned Moovel, Swedish mobility startup MaaS Global, and now Uber, trying to tackle the bundling all types of transit into one singular app.
“Everyone is used to ridesharing now,” Sam Zeid, Getaround chief executive told Auto Finance News. “Now, it’s the next wave of mobility for consumers [companies are focusing on].”
This is the second partnership that Getaround has established with Uber, the first being a small pilot a year ago targeted to drivers renting by the hour. But this new partnership offers a “lightweight” version of the full Getaround app, Zeid said.
Getaround, based in San-Francisco, currently operates in nine cities including Boston, Portland, and Chicago. Although Getaround plans to expand more rapidly, the company does not have a timeline for when it plans to roll out to additional cities through Uber Rent.
