As customers now expect 24/7 availability of goods and services, we need sustainable solutions that allow us to stay optimistic about the future while maintaining the level of convenience we’ve become accustomed to. A sensible approach to sustainability is to use the resources and assets we have in a smarter, better way, leveraging technology to offer convenience while still being advantageous for the planet. 

One asset that has been rethought is the automobile. Domestic vehicles require a lot to manufacture and yet, as Karim Bousta, CEO of Getaround, says, “A car sits unused 95 percent of the time. That’s probably one of the biggest wastes in our society.” The solution? Share them. 

“Carsharing starts with a very simple idea: instead of having assets everyone has to own individually, why not share the assets?”

Getaround was founded in 2009 in San Francisco as a digital carsharing marketplace, and is now active in more than 850 cities in eight countries. With the Getaround app, users can find, book, and drive a fully-insured car, priced by the hour or day, in a matter of minutes. They don’t need to meet the car owner or queue at an agency: their phone is the key that unlocks the car with full autonomy and flexibility. 

With economies traditionally being driven by individual ownership, taking such a radical approach to car use has proven to be genuinely disruptive, and undeniably popular. 

For hosts (car owners who get paid for sharing their vehicles with others) and guests (who use the cars on demand), the Getaround model has clear advantages. Colin Vo Cong Tri, a Getaround guest based in Paris, France, says he was sold on the convenience of the service: 

“I decided to use Getaround because compared to other options such as rental companies or buying a car, it’s much easier. You find a car, unlock it with your phone, and drive,” he describes. “It allows me to feel more free.”

It’s equally beneficial for hosts, as Eric Nguyen, Head of Engineering, North America at Getaround explains: “When they aren’t using their car, it can generate income for them.”

Carsharing also has a positive influence on users’ mobility habits overall. “When people have access to carsharing, they drive less. They walk, bike, and use public transit more,” Nguyen says, illustrating how people become more intentional to only use a car when they really need it.

Using Getaround is an example of how the digital world is able to make a real difference to the economics of using cars, reducing redundant time when a vehicle would otherwise be parked in a garage, and meeting the transport needs of people who don’t need or want to own a car full-time. 

As for an individual’s impact on the environment, Bousta points to studies that have shown significant carbon savings thanks to carsharing.

“Each shared Getaround car takes away 10 individually owned cars. As a result, a household that goes from car owning to carsharing reduces their carbon emissions by about 40 percent.”

Over the past decade, Getaround has scaled its operation in North America and Europe, ushering in noticeable changes. The company has built partnerships with key cities such as San Francisco and Paris to allocate on-street parking to cars shared on the Getaround platform, making it easier for city-dwellers to find a car nearby and park without hassle. 

These programs have been greatly successful in promoting more sustainable car usage inside cities, with many inhabitants giving up their personal car in favour of carsharing. Two years after first partnering with Getaround, the City Council of Paris will be allocating even more parking spots to shared cars, demonstrating their commitment to this smart mobility solution for the well-being of the community.

Carsharing is clearly the way forward, producing win-win scenarios for communities and the planet. As cars themselves get smarter and more connected, sharing becomes even easier: Getaround is already working with automotive giants to enable carsharing functions using in-car technology. And the company believes that in the near future, sharing rather than ownership will become the default mode of car usage. 

With this approach, the car – which environmentalists have long held up as a critical problem to be solved – can still be a viable mobility solution when used in a more sustainable way, and without losing the convenience and freedom we have come to rely on.