What is car sharing and how to use it

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

Short Term Car Rental Guide: Pros, Cons & Expert Advice.

What is car sharing and what are its features

Car sharing is renting a car from a specialized company, as a rule, with a per-minute tariff. Cars with keys in the lock are parked all over the city and are waiting for their drivers. This type of rental is cheaper than a taxi and is many times more convenient than public transport.

The history of car sharing dates back to 1948, but it was actively developed in the 90s - everything that happened before is more likely to be referred to as experiments. In 1994, the Communauto car-sharing company appeared in Kubek - this became the starting point for the development of the sphere, and Communauto is still considered one of the largest car-sharing platforms to this day.

Car sharing came to Russia in 2013, and since then 12 companies have appeared in the country providing fast car rental services.

Cars for rent can be found through a mobile application - every car-sharing company has it. Most of the actions for renting a car are carried out precisely through the application.

The car can be rented for a short period or for the whole day - payment, respectively, will be made per minutes of use or per day. Selected operators provide a pay-per-kilometer option. Parking time is paid at the “parking” rate, which is cheaper than the standard traffic rate.

Who is car sharing suitable for?

Car sharing was created for active people who value comfort and their time and do not want to burden themselves with personal transport. Calculations are confirmed by Car sharing or a private car - which is more profitable? that the driver will spend almost the same amount for a month of car sharing and a month of maintaining a personal car. In addition, car sharing will allow you not to worry about a number of typical problems of all motorists.

When renting a car, the driver does not pay for gas - companies provide fuel cards and additional free minutes after refueling. You don't have to pay for warming up the car and making a reservation: the driver will have from 10 to 25 free minutes to get to the car. Repair, maintenance and washing of vehicles are also on the conscience of the company. In general, car sharing is built on a transparent payment system with very humane rules.

Yuri Nikolaev publisher of the truesharing.ru car-sharing website.

Car sharing takes driving a car to a fundamentally different level: you use the car exactly when you need it, exactly as much as you need it. The vast majority of people do not pay a dentist's salary on a monthly basis, but use his services as needed. It's the same here.

Car sharing in Russia

Now in Russia more than 50,000 drivers use car sharing, the total number of cars is 5,000, and it is constantly growing. Cars of different brands are rented per minute: Skoda, Renault Kaptur, Huyndai Solaris, Volkswagen Polo, you can even find a BMW or a compact Smart.

The car-sharing service in our country is provided by 12 operators, the largest of which are Yandex. Drive, Delimobil, YouDrive, BelkaCar and Anytime. In fact, all operators are similar, but not without significant differences.

For example, a car rented from Delimobil can be left at the airport (this option is not available for most operators). Delimobil is also very loyal to young drivers: you can rent a car at the age of 19, while other operators suggest waiting for 21 years. And Yandex. Drive cars are equipped with built-in navigators with maps and traffic jams.

There is also a difference in tariffs.

	Yandex. Drive	Delimobil	Youdrive	BelkaCar	Anytime
Drive	from 5 rubles / min	from 7 rubles / min	from 8 rubles / min	from 8 rubles / min	from 3 rubles / min
Parking	from 1.5 rubles / min	1.5 rubles / min	2 rubles / min	2 rubles / min	2 rubles / min
Daily rate	No	from 1 999 rubles	6 900 rubles	up to 2,000 rubles	2,400 rubles
Free booking	20 minutes	20 minutes	20 minutes	20 minutes	20 minutes

How to use car sharing

You need to know that in the event of a car theft during rental, damage to the vehicle or its equipment, the user will have to pay. It is not easy to defend your innocence: often the driver gets an already damaged car, and sometimes the user simply does not know which rules of the lessor he is violating. For example, there may be no mandatory equipment in the car, the novice driver does not know about it, gets behind the wheel and automatically becomes guilty.

In order not to get into such a situation, carefully read our instructions for using car sharing.

1. Download the app

The application is an irreplaceable assistant in car sharing. In it you register, find cars, communicate with the operator, and so on.

Despite the obvious convenience of this method of communication, there is also a difficulty: if the driver disappears from the operator's radar, he is obliged to call and report his problem, which is not always possible if, for example, the driver's phone has sat down. It is necessary to take this into account and monitor the charge and quality of the connection.

2. Register

The registration procedure is standard: you need to fill out an agreement and attach the necessary documents, such as a photo of your passport (pages with photos and registration) and driver's license, your selfie with your passport.

You can register on the website through a computer, but you will need the application in any case.

The main mistake of users is negligence in reading the contract. Ignorance of the conditions leads to problems: fines, money write-offs, account blocking, car evacuation. Read the contract, study the rules, ask questions. And actions that seem non-standard to you, coordinate with technical support, preferably in writing.

Yuri Nikolaev

By the way, in the car-sharing industry there is no single list of “bad” drivers, but everyone is thoroughly checked before being allowed to drive. The probability of refusal is high enough if there is a suspicion that the driver is unscrupulous. If the user shows himself well, he is assigned a high rating within the company, and at the same time, discounts and bonuses are offered.

3. Attach a bank card

After concluding the contract, attach a bank card to your profile, since with a per-minute rate, money is withdrawn immediately after the trip.

4. Find the nearest car

This can be done through the "radar" in the application. The screen will display the car closest to you that needs to be reserved. After that, the driver gets 10 to 25 minutes to get to the car. The time depends on the distance between you and the car.

Keep in mind that sometimes you have to get to the nearest car almost by bus. Despite the large fleet of vehicles, this situation is not uncommon.

5. "Activate" the car and hit the road

The application will also help you open the car, and the ignition keys will already be in the lock. In the glove compartment there must be STS, OSAGO, fuel card. Start up - and go!

But before you get behind the wheel, carefully inspect the car for damage, dirt outside and inside, scratches and so on. In order not to pay a fine for someone else's accidents, take a photo of all the damage found and send it to the operator.

Take pictures of everything during the first inspection of the car and after the end of the trip! Send the photo to the operator and leave it in the cloud storage. The more documented evidence that you completed your lease properly and without damage, the better.

Yuri Nikolaev

6. Return the car

You can leave your car in the zones marked in the app. You need to park, put the car on the lever, press the corresponding button in the application and leave the salon.

Do not forget to insert the keys into the lock and leave the car in the same condition in which you rented it. Take care of fellow drivers who will get this car in the future.

Car sharing in Russia is in its development stage: its expansion into the regions has just begun, and the battle for people's trust is in full swing. In the era of automation, it is logical to look at such services. With the existing drawbacks of car sharing, it has one important plus: it gives mobility and freedom of movement that motorists need in big cities. The main thing is to use this freedom wisely and follow the rules of service and traffic.