Uber can coordinate your ride home or make your favorite fast food appear at your doorstep. Now, the ride-hailing firm wants to offer drivers a way to rent a car from their neighbor.
Uber is set to bring Uber Carshare to Boston and Toronto in the coming months. The product, which initially launched in Australia, allows people to borrow vehicles from private car owners for a set amount of hours or days.
Carshare’s expansion into the U.S. was one of the new features announced Thursday at Go-Get Zero, a sustainability product event in London that focuses on how Uber is working to fulfill its goal of becoming a zero-emissions platform by 2040.
Uber has not yet announced when its carshare product will be made available in Boston and Toronto, but said launch dates and additional details will be revealed at a later date.
Peer-to-peer carsharing growth
The peer-to-peer carsharing industry, which includes companies like Turo and Getaround, saw a boost in 2021 amid the rental car shortage. The market size was an estimated $1.6 million that year and is projected to reach $7.2 million in 2030, according to maket research and consulting firm Prescient & Strategic Intelligence.
“We believe that Uber has an unprecedented ability to bring carsharing to the mainstream unlike any other company in the market today and we’re excited to launch this offering soon,” said Camiel Irving, general manager of mobility in the U.S. and Canada at Uber.
This isn’t the first time Uber has dipped its toes into the car-sharing space. In April 2018, the company said it had partnered with startup Getaround and would begin testing a feature to let San Francisco drivers rent cars from peers through the Uber app.
By the following November, Quartz reported that Uber notified users that it would be shutting down the program. A company spokesperson told Quartz at the time that the company pulled the plug on the program to “think through the best way to offer Uber customers access to rentals in the Uber app.”
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How does Uber Carshare work?
Uber aims to have several hundred vehicles listed to rent in Boston and Toronto at launch.
Drivers will be able to pick up and return the vehicle through the Uber app. Car availability will be listed in 15-minute increments and there are no requirements for how far in advance drivers will need to book.
Uber Carshare is separate from Uber Rent, which lets users rent cars from providers like Hertz through the Uber app.
How much does Uber Carshare cost?
Uber will suggest pricing to car owners, who will set their vehicle’s availability and final pricing. Fuel will be included in the final cost.
Pricing will vary based on location, time and vehicle type and age.
