I love reading the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovative ideas from the writers at TechCrunch. (Tip: TechCrunch is a great spot for discovering up and coming companies.) Well, a couple of days ago I was scrolling around this site when I came across an interesting new company called Getaround.
The concept of Getaround is pretty simple – make and save money by sharing a car. What really captured my attention was the following: “For a limited time, Getaway owners are guaranteed to make at least $1,000 for their first three months, with potential to earn more.”
Guaranteed side income of $1,000? Seriously? I had to read more about Getaway, which is a new program from Getaround.
What is Getaround.com?
Getaround allow people to share cars by the hour, day, or week through an online marketplace. This company helps create an easy and smooth way for owners to rent their cars.
Getaway
Part of this sharing program is Getaway, which is a way for people to share their cars full-time, with Getaround managing the car rental process. Getaway recently launched in beta for limited markets – San Francisco and Chicago. This launch also includes a new feature called Instant Rental.
Instant Rental
Instant Rental wants to offer a new way for people to rent their car instantly by using an in-car technology known as the Getaround Carkit and insurance backed by Berkshire Hathaway. (Yes, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway.)
The Carkit comes equipped with GPS technology, usage tracking and advanced security protection that allows renters to get secure access to someone’s car using an application on their smartphone.
According to Sam Zaid, CEO and founder of Getaround, “We’ve heard from countless owners across the country that they are looking for a way to share their car through Getaround for an extended period of time, and aren’t able to manage their car. “From being called to military duty to taking a trip around the world to going away to college, we know there is a demand for this one-of-a-kind service, and know owners will be thrilled to turn their unused car into cash.”
One Getaround user reports, “My wife and I decided to take a three month honeymoon to Southeast Asia, and didn’t know what to do with our car while we were away. Instead of leaving our car parked in a friend’s garage, we decided to enroll our car in Getaway and made $1600. Not only were we able to go on the trip of a lifetime, but we also had the peace of mind that our car was taken care of.”
Since launching in San Francisco in early 2011, Getaround has seen growth by expanding into Austin, San Diego and Portland, and signing up 10,000 cars nationwide.
How Getaway using Getaround Works
Getaround is it is free to join. Renters or owners can share today by signing up for free at www.getaround.com. For as little as $3 an hour, members can easily rent cars from a Toyota to a Tesla, and save money on auto payments, insurance and maintenance.
Here’s how to take part in Getaway:
- During this initial beta period of Getaway, owners across the country can visit getaround.com/getaway and submit their car to be shared full-time.
- The Getaround team will go through a detailed selection process, then send the car owner a contract, and make arrangements to pick up the car.
- Getaround’s Customer Happiness team then completes a series of inspections to ensure the safety and condition of the vehicle, installs the Getaround Carkit and finally selects a safe and secure location for the vehicle to be parked and shared from.
- Getaround’s Customer Happiness team manages each rental, facilitating the cleaning and maintenance of each car. All revenue, after the upkeep and commission, go straight to the owner.
While I’m not convinced Getaway can stand by its $1,000 guaranteed income claim, one user did share his positive experience for raking in $1,600.
For more information, visit Getaround.com.
Personal Note to Getaround.com:
Can you make a name change for Getaway? I was getting a little confused between “Getaway” and “Getaround”; however keep the name “Instant Rental” – easy to remember.
If you’re obsessed with using the word “get”, consider “Getgoing” when you launch your next company, service or marketing campaign. No need to compensate me for my free, non-expert advice. Best wishes for a successful company!
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