The company is already running a car-sharing business in Australia.
This service will be available in Toronto and Boston first.
Uber says car-sharing will help reduce greenhouse emissions.
Uber announced it will soon bring its car-sharing service to North America after having offered it for a few months in Australia.
Offered alongside the company’s existing ride-hailing and food delivery services, Uber Carshare will allow car owners to rent out their vehicles when they don’t need them.
From the user’s point of view, the Uber app will allow them to view available vehicles in their area and select one that fits their needs and budget. Pickup and drop off will then be arranged with the car’s owner, which means that, unlike traditional rental cars, users will likely not be able to take a car to a different city and leave it there.
Speaking of money, the company says it will suggest prices for both hourly and daily renting periods, but owners will be free to set their own fares, which will include fuel costs.
Uber says adding this new car-sharing service is a way to help reduce greenhouse emissions coming from the transport industry by reducing the total number of cars needed for a given population.
This announcement also comes alongside a number of changes Uber wants to implement in order to attract new users to its existing services, notably by targeting teens as young as 13 years old.
Of course, Uber Carshare will not become available across the continent all at once, with the company targeting Toronto and Boston as the two starting points for this service in North America.
This choice can be explained by the fact that Uber envisions car-sharing as a solution best employed in a large city with a metropolitan area that requires the use of a passenger car to get around.
Uber has yet to confirm an exact date for the start of its car-sharing business in North America or which cities can expect to be added to the list next.
Source: TechCrunch
