What is "getaround"

Getaround is an online car sharing or peer-to-peer carsharing service that allows drivers to rent cars from private car owners, and owners to rent out their cars for payment. Owners set their rental prices and earn a 60% commission from their rental revenue.

Getaround launched to the public in May 2011 at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. To date, it has received $19 million USD in seed funding. The company currently operates rentals in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Austin, Portland, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Similar to other car sharing services such as Zipcar, Getaround utilizes the economic principles of collaborative consumption. However, the peer-to-peer rental model doesn’t require the company to maintain a fleet of vehicles; rather, owners manage and maintain their own vehicles.