Strengthening Transit Through Community Partnerships
A San Francisco car-sharing startup has officially launched in Chicago to let people quickly borrow their neighbor's car, and give owners a chance to earn some money off their idle vehicles. Getaround, which launched in 2009 and has raised $43 million, made its debut in Chicago this week to connect people with privately-owned nearby cars. Similarly to Airbnb, Getaround lets people list when their car is available, and it provides a marketplace for users to find the best deal and the type of vehicle they're looking for.
Getaround's Chicago launch coincides with the startup's participation in a two-year federally funded study of peer-to-peer car sharing in Chicago. Getaround is working with the Shared Use Mobility Center and the Center for Neighborhood Technology to analyze the best car sharing practices and to see how to improve service city-wide.