Companies like Daimler (Car2Go) and BMW (DriveNow, in cooperation with Mini and Sixt hire firm chain) have already decided on the short-term car rental.
Currently the DriveNow BMW system is functioning in German cities (Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf) as well as in Wien and San Francisco. This year, 360 000 users from Western neighboring countries benefit from it. Our first aim was to achieve profit – this objective was reached, so now we are planning the development. We are thinking about expanding the activity by 15 European and 10 North American cities. We are checking those locations and creating the list of cities which we are going to take into consideration. I cannot tell anything more about when and where we are planning to open our activity, but certainly we are going to develop – comments Michael Fischer from DriveNow.
There is no knowing if there will be also Polish cities among considered locations, however the opening of the short-term rental car in our country was announced by Car2Go – a system owned by Daimler AG company. According to plans, it would start in Warsaw at the beginning of 2015. Currently the inhabitants of 29 cities in Europe and North America may enjoy this system. They have smarts at their disposal, mostly those with a motor drive.
The initiators of such systems as DriveNow or Car2Go point out that thanks to them it is possible to limit the traffic of private cars in big metropolis and relieve crowded street. In many cases, the usage of a rental car may be much more comfortable and cheaper than driving the own car. The basic rule of our system is flexibility – explains Michael Fischer. – In traditional car hires, a vehicle has to be left at the same place in which it was rented. In DriveNow, a car may be rent from any place in the city and left in any point of it.
In order to rent a car, a membership card is necessary – one can get it after registering on the website or mobile application. The whole process of ordering is online – the application points out a car to a client which is in close proximity to him. Then the client may open it with the use of the card and he may start his journey. After arriving at a destination, the car may be parked in any place and locked by the card. Meanwhile, the car is again available in the application. The fees are charged in accordance with a minute tariff and clients do not have to declare earlier how long they are going to use it.
Michael Fischer emphasizes that DriveNow system may be distinguished by the fleet of high class vehicles. Although their exploitation means that the company has to bear higher costs, it is not planning to introduce some cheaper cars to the offer. Upscale cars are our characteristic. We do not want to change it – says the company’s representative. – Clients are pleased with this offer. We propose cars which probably wiould not be bought by our clients due to a really high price. Thus we have MINI and BMW. These are very good vehicles for any purpose – we can go for a shopping, on the airport, or go somewhere with our friends. Moreover, clients may use a convertible on a sunny day.