Back in April this year, Getaround, a peer-to-peer car-sharing startup based in San Francisco, US acquired Drivy, a French counterpart for $300 million (nearly €268.84 million). This acquisition marked the first expansion of the US company facilitating it to run its operations in Europe.
Drivy and Getaround: The carsharing partnership
Headquartered in Paris, Drivy was founded by Paulin Dementhon in 2010. The startup quickly built a user base of over 2.5 million across Europe. Drivy has over 55,000 cars shared across six countries. The company has an established track record of innovation and execution in the local market. The car-sharing app works with a companion app that lets drivers find a nearby car, open it with a smartphone and drive it away.
The cost of this service includes insurance with Allianz and 24/7 roadside assistance from ARC Europe. As vehicles in its fleet are sourced from private owners and dedicated fleets, Drivy lets owners reduce the overall cost of owning a vehicle and help fleet owners maximise their investment. Both Drivy and Getaround want to reduce the problems caused by congestion with the concept of car-sharing.
So, what are the future plans?
After the acquisition, Getaround founded in 2011 by Elliot Kroo, Jessica Scorpio and Sam Zaid aims to expand its presence in Europe. Also together, both these companies have a total of five million members in 300 cities across Europe and the US and this number is expected to grow further.
Recently, the Drivy app was renamed “Drivy by Getaround” and the users in Europe and UK will use this app. Now, Dementhon becomes the CEO of Getaround Europe and will spearhead its expansion across London and Europe.
Expansion in London
The prime focus will be London, where Drivy was launched in late 2017 and is one of the fastest growing cities next to Paris, its home city. In Paris, Drivy has 154 designated on-street parking spaces that will highlight Drivy’s fleet around the city and make it easy for drivers to find parking space. Dementhon is bullish about working with local boroughs in London to offer a similar service as in Paris.
Focus on a greener fleet
Also, Drivy is providing a special offer to car owners in London who wish to upgrade to a greener vehicle in order to avoid the charges imposed by ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone). Also, Drivy will waive off commission for car owners who scrap their vehicles in exchange for an electric or hybrid car that they share on the car-sharing platform.
“We’re not putting more cars on the road in order to take cars off the road,” says Zaid. “We’re turning them into shared vehicles, enabling more people to live and move car-free, away from ownership.”
How Getaround works?
Getaround allows users to rent cars shared by people in their city and drive them instantly. Rental is by the hour or the day and includes insurance and roadside assistance 24/7. By using the Getaround app, users avoid the queues and paperwork of conventional rental companies and the inconvenience of buying and maintaining a vehicle.
Getaround Connect
In recent years, Getaround has pioneered the car-sharing market with Getaround Connect, a patented technology that allows users to locate and unlock vehicles through their phones, making carsharing more convenient, accessible at any time. Getaround and Drivy share this vision of carsharing, as Drivy has also developed a mobile unlocking feature – Drivy Open – which eliminates the need for tenants and owners to meet for key collection.
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.
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