What is car sharing and how to use it so as not to get paid

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Everything you need to know before driving a rented car.

What is car sharing and why everyone is talking about it

Car sharing is a short-term, usually per-minute, car rental. The search for the car and the signing of the contract take place through the application in the smartphone.

Now car sharing is experiencing an incredible boom in the capital, but only comes to other big cities and still seems to be something new. Although its history began in 1948, when a small cooperative appeared in Switzerland, where people could rent a car.

True, for decades, the development of such a service was greatly hampered by the lack of technology. Therefore, car sharing in the modern sense, when it became possible to leave a car anywhere, spread in Europe only in the late 2000s with the development of mobile Internet and smartphones.

Car sharing came to Russia relatively recently - at the turn of 2012–2013 - with the company Anytime. But he began to develop actively in 2015, when other operators appeared on the market: Delimobil, YouDrive and Car5.

According to Trushering, as of November 2018, there are 27 operating car-sharing operators in Russia. And new ones are getting ready to launch.

How car sharing is developing in Russia and how it differs from European

There are no significant differences between Russian and European car sharing. Registration and payment of rent is the same. Only some of the functions available to the user and the cost differ: in Europe it is more expensive.

In Russia, the system has been developed so far only in Moscow. Due to the high cost of paid parking, it is easier for metropolitan drivers to rent a car than to use their own or take an expensive taxi. Trying to unload traffic, the government gives car-sharing privileges to paid parking, but only if their car fleet meets the standards of the city program. According to the Department of Transport, one car in the car-sharing system can replace up to 10 personal cars.

Anton Ryazanov Head of Yandex. Drive

In addition to the capital, car sharing will develop in St. Petersburg - this is the second market in Russia. As soon as the paid parking zone begins to expand there, the city expects a real boom in car sharing. Another promising market is Sochi. The main audience of carsharing is vacationers, and the long-term rental model is more pronounced in the city.

But car sharing is unlikely to reach the regions in the near future. Compared to megalopolises, there is still a poorly developed system of paid parking, and the cost of a taxi is relatively lower. These are the main factors that allow car sharing to grow.

At the same time, in Western countries, car sharing is already being actively integrated into the transport system. In Switzerland, for example, the service is already included in a single public transport app linked to the Swiss Pass transport card.

Despite this, the Russian car sharing market is developing incredibly fast.

Yuri Nikolaev publisher of the truesharing.ru car sharing website

In terms of vehicle fleet volume, the Russian car-sharing market has already surpassed most countries. As of October 2018, we estimate the total vehicle fleet in Russia at more than 18,000 vehicles, of which almost 13,000 are in Moscow. More than 17 million trips were made this year - the last two figures are confirmed by the Department of Transport.

Which is better: carsharing, taxi or private car

You should not consider car sharing as a complete alternative to a private car or taxi. Depending on the situation, each option will have its own advantages and disadvantages.

Carsharing vs taxi

The main advantage of car sharing over a taxi: you yourself sit behind the wheel, control your driving style and choose your music. No need to force yourself to keep up a conversation with a chatty taxi driver or apologize if you suddenly have to change your route.

True, if you are poorly guided in the city, then in the absence of a navigator you can roll for a decent amount or get stuck in a traffic jam. In a taxi, you know in advance the final amount of the trip - someone is more comfortable this way. However, Yandex. Drive is preparing to test a fixed rate, when it will be possible to find out the cost of the trip in advance, but this service is not yet available.

Car sharing is more comfortable if you need to make several stops along the way, when you are driving around for work or just decided to go for a ride with friends. But if you are in a hurry, it is better to choose a taxi. Because at the right moment the car may not be nearby, you will have to spend time finding it, inspecting it, checking the documents. And although it is cheaper to get to the airport by car sharing, there is a danger of getting into an accident and not flying away at all.

Carsharing vs private car

A private car is beneficial if you have to regularly go on long trips. But in the city, using car sharing is generally cheaper: you take a car only when you need it. In addition, consider the costs of washing, gasoline and personal car maintenance. In addition to money, this is also time and just an extra headache. In car sharing, the company takes care of this.

On the one hand, your car is psychological comfort. You do not have to deal with garbage or breakdowns in the cabin after careless users, you do not feel unnecessary responsibility, leave your things in the car and do not share it with anyone else.

On the other hand, car sharing is freedom. You can leave the car in the right place at any time and forget about it.

What offers are on the market

Now the largest car sharing operators are Yandex. Drive, Delimobil, BelkaCar, YouDrive and Anytime. Two more young but notable operators are MatryoshCar and TimCar.

The car parks of services are constantly replenished. It is already possible to rent not only budget Renault Kaptur, Volkswagen Polo or Huyndai Solaris, but also premium Mercedes-Benz, BMW Series 3/5, Audi A3 / Q3, and even Jaguar, Ferrari and Porsche. Of course, both the rates and the requirements for drivers when renting such cars are usually higher.

The prices for using the machines vary. It is necessary to take into account other differences in the conditions: what age and experience is required for a particular car, at which airports parking is provided, what kind of bonus system is.

Please note that for some companies the cost per minute changes depending on the time and traffic congestion. If you need a car for a long time, check how much the daily rate will cost. Sometimes it is more profitable than a per-minute lease, and for some operators it is activated automatically when a certain amount is reached.

	The cost of the trip, rub./min.	Waiting cost, rub./min.	Free overnight parking	Daily rate, rub.	Age and experience
Yandex. Drive	from 5 (dynamic)	from 2 (dynamic)	23:30–05:30 outside the green zone	No	from 21 years old; from 2 years
Delimobil	from 3	2, 5	00:00–05:59	from 1 999	from 19 years old; from 1 year
BelkaCar	from 8	from 2	00:00–06:00	from 2000	from 21 years old; from 2 years
Youdrive	from 8	from 3	20:00–08:00 outside the green zone	from 6 900	from 20 years old; from 2 years
Anytime	from 7	from 2	No	from 2,400	from 19 years old; from 1 year
TimCar	from 3, 9	from 1, 9	23:00–06:00	from 2000	from 20 years old; from 1 year
MatryoshCar	from 9	from 2	22:00–6:00	from 2 200	from 21 years old; from 2 years

Do not rush to register for all services at once. Although the general concept is similar, the details and rules are slightly different for everyone, and it will not be easy to remember them the first time.

Yuri Nikolaev

Operators are actively competing for users - prices and conditions are often changed and updated. Therefore, periodically compare rates and rules of different car sharing.

How to use car sharing

registration

Prepare a driver's license and passport for registration. Download the car sharing app you want to use. You will be asked to take clear photographs of your license, registration, passport and selfies with your passport.

You sign the service agreement directly in the application. Be sure to read it carefully.

The most important and common mistake of users is negligence in the terms of service and reading the contract. Users think that nothing will happen to them and it is not necessary to read the contract. This results in a whole pool of problems associated with ignorance of the rules of the service: fines, write-offs (not always justified), blocking, evacuation of the car, and so on.

Yuri Nikolaev

After that, bind a bank card - the payment for the trip is debited from it automatically. The calculation takes place either entirely at the end of the trip, or in parts upon reaching a certain amount. Please check in advance in the terms of use.

Do not postpone registration at the service until the very trip: the security service takes time to check your information. Usually this procedure takes no more than an hour, but sometimes it can take several days.

Choosing a car

The application opens a map showing free cars. Choose the one that is closer to you - the service contains the address where the car is, the number, the amount of available gasoline.

Make sure your destination is in the green area - the area where you can end your rental - or plan another route. If you are going to the airport - check if there is parking for this service at the desired airport and how to get to it.

Next, you book a car. You are given free time to get to it. For most services, it is 20 minutes. Yandex. Drive calculates dynamically depending on the distance - from 5 to 20 minutes, plus 5 minutes for inspection. After the expiration of this time, the waiting fee is charged, usually 1.5–3 rubles per minute.

Vehicle inspection

An important part is the inspection of the car and verification of documents. If you are still not too lazy and read the contract, you will see that before the start of the rental, you must inform the service about all damage and contamination of the car that you notice. If you do not do this, you are responsible for them.

That is, money can be written off from you for damage to the car and abandoned garbage, even if it is not your fault. Therefore, always take photos: capture the parking space, body and interior. Repeat the same after the end of the lease, send the photos to the operator and keep them with you: upload them to the cloud storage or a private channel in Telegram. Operators may not pay attention to minor scratches and abrasions, but it is better to photograph them as well.

For a restful sleep and the opportunity to challenge any claim, photographing is worth everything and always. Four photographs in a circle, which took no more than a minute, can help challenge a fine of tens of thousands of rubles. The more documented evidence that you completed your lease properly and without damage, the better.

Yuri Nikolaev

Now, in the applications of some operators, you can view photos of damage previously taken by other users, and send only new ones.

Check the STS in the glove compartment for the car, the OSAGO policy and the fuel card (if it should be according to the terms of service). If they are missing or the papers are damaged, notify the operator.

If everything is in order, sign the vehicle acceptance certificate directly through the application and start renting.

Drive

Then you just start the car and hit the road. Be careful on the road and take your time trying to save a few rubles on your rental.

If you need to make a stop, put the car in standby mode. The car will remain with you, and the payment per minute will be lower than for rent. And it's better to take a photo again - in case something happens to the car while you are away.

Refueling

Usually, the services themselves refuel their cars, but if you suddenly need to refuel, contact the operator. The service will give you detailed instructions on refueling and compensate the cost with bonus points or additional rental time.

End of lease

The zones where you can leave the car are indicated in the service application. Park your car in an approved place. Take your personal belongings and abandoned trash. Check if windows, doors, trunk are closed.

The rent is also completed via the app. Don't forget to take some photos again.

What you definitely shouldn't do

Transfer the car to other people

This is a gross violation of the rules of car sharing, for which there is a significant fine. The service has many ways to understand that there has been a transfer of the steering wheel to another person. In some cars, a video recorder can be installed with a record of what is happening in the cabin. In addition, we use machine learning to capture changes in driving style on a trip.

Anton Ryazanov

The fines for this violation are serious - from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles.

Use the car as a taxi

If you decide to earn extra money on a rented car, be prepared to pay 10,000 rubles as a fine.

Damage telematics equipment

Telematics is the basis for the control and safety of a car-sharing car. For an attempt to turn it off, a fine is threatened - up to 300,000 rubles.

Transport animals without carriers, cages, bags

The essence of the ban is to avoid damage to the interior. Therefore, it is important that the animal does not come into contact with the upholstery. Operators have different fines for interior pollution: from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles.

Transport building materials and bulky cargo

You risk damaging your car and paying a fine. Better play it safe: order a cargo taxi or rent a cargo car.

Dashing

The sensors in the car will indicate your driving style - they will record all overspeeding, hard braking and dangerous maneuvers. Drift, participation in races and other types of dangerous driving in a rented car will cost the user at least 30,000 rubles.

Drain gasoline

The operator may determine that the amount of fuel you refueled is less than what you paid for with your fuel card or check. There are other ways to catch a user:

Yandex. Drive has a special algorithm that will understand from telematics data that the distance traveled does not correspond to the fuel spent. We will conduct an investigation and if it turns out this, the user will be blocked, and administrative measures will be taken in accordance with the law.

Anton Ryazanov

Therefore, you will not be able to save. The fine for a misconduct will be 10,000–20,000 rubles.

Smoking in the salon

The fine for smoking in a rented car is from 2,000 rubles. And some services also offer bonuses to those who "give up" smoking users.

Leave the car with open windows, doors, trunk

Such violations can cost 15,000 rubles.

Leave the car outside the permitted parking area

If the car is evacuated, you will have to pay a fine and evacuation services. The fine for leaving the car on the lawn can be from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles. If you complete your lease outside the green zone, pay about 10,000.

Avoid communication with the operator

Do not hesitate to clarify the necessary information with the operators and ask questions. In case of an unforeseen situation, do not be afraid to cooperate with the service. Companies often go to meet their users and do not abandon them.

In my practice, there was a case when the lease did not end due to the lack of communication and the operator asked to move the car to another location. The money was compensated to a bonus account. In general, we often see feedback in the community when operators compensate for different cases. This is much easier than cleaning up negativity on social networks.

Yuri Nikolaev

Try to give feedback - with your help, services are getting better.