…Park Free and Make Money
Many travelers are tired of paying exorbitant rates to park at the airport. At the other end of their travels, they’re also fed up with the high cost of rental cars. Now there’s a company called TravelCar that claims to have an ingenious solution to both problems. The Paris-based car sharing service turns parked cars into cash for their owners, offers free airport parking and helps travelers earn money by renting out their car to other travelers while they are away.
Here’s how TravelCar works. First, you can earn money while traveling and get free parking. If you agree to let your car be rented by other travelers while you’re traveling, you get free airport parking. Your car is protected with $1 million in liability insurance and is covered against theft and physical damage. You also get paid for every mile that’s driven. If your car is not rented, you still get free parking.
From a renter’s perspective, you get access to a private car for up to 70 percent less than the cost of renting from traditional rental car companies.
If you’d rather not share your car, you can still park with TravelCar and receive the lowest airport parking rates guaranteed, which they say are up to 70 percent less than competitor rates.
In the sharing economy, this looks like forward progress even, in fact, if it’s clearly not for everyone. You might not want someone driving your new Audi Q5 or Maserati Gran Turismo Convertible while you jet off to Europe. But then again, services like Airbnb were not designed for people who only love to stay in luxury hotels.
TravelCar launched its US operations on June 14 with an office in Los Angeles. Founded in 2012 and based in Paris, TravelCar is currently operating in 30 countries in 200 locations. TravelCar has a fairly aggressive expansion plan, with a San Francisco location slated to open in July, followed by eight additional US markets this year. Check out TravelCar for more info.
culled from forbes.com
