Car-sharing networks flourish in the Bay Area
Donnie Fowler owns a 2006 Saab that's fully paid for, but he almost never drives it. A self-employed consultant who lives in San Francisco, he often works from home and takes public transportation to most of his meetings.
But his car does not sit idle -- it's out on the streets earning money. Fowler rents out his Saab for $8 per hour via Getaround, one of several car-sharing networks that have sprouted in the Bay Area. Since joining Getaround in the fall, Fowler has earned more than $800 -- money that goes straight into his infant daughter's college fund.
Photos of his Saab are available on Getaround's website, along with a description: "sporty, powerful, and dependable four door car with bike rack for two," along with reviews from renters who have driven it.
"At first I was pretty wary about letting strangers borrow my car," Fowler said. "I wondered if it was going to get wrecked. Are they going to smoke? What's my insurance exposure?"
But he said Getaround carefully screens renters, and that the renters have been friendly and considerate.
"They thank me and feel like they know me," he said. "One guy washed my car for me, which is not part of the deal."
Getaround is one of several Bay Area "peer-to-peer" car-sharing services -- others include RelayRides, PATS CarShare and Spride -- where car owners rent their personal vehicles directly to other drivers. Car owners have found the services a relatively hassle-free way to make extra money, while renters say they offer a convenient alternative to traditional car-rental companies.
The car-sharing services vary in prices and policies -- PATS requires drivers to be at least 21 -- but all were founded on the same realization: Most cars sit unused much of the time, and many two-car families don't need both vehicles on the weekends.
Getaround, a San Francisco-based startup in the midst of raising its first round of venture funding, launched in March 2011 and has about 800 cars in its portfolio. Most of those cars belong to Bay Area drivers, but Getaround is also active in San Diego and Richmond; its next market is Portland, Ore.
San Jose Car Insurance Quotes - News
PATS Car Share president Patrick Mahan, left, shares a laugh with a customer, Jeff Tatro, an insurance agent who is visiting from Portland, ORE. while heading to a parking lot where Mahan gives him one of his rental cars, on Jan 16 in San Jose.
By DANA HULL SAN JOSE, Calif -- SAN JOSE, Calif. - Donnie Fowler owns a 2006 Saab that's fully paid for, but he almost never drives it. A self-employed consultant who lives in San Francisco, he often works from home and takes public transportation to
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