CarHopper
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Car sharing |
| Founded |
2015 Miami, Florida |
| Founder | Bora Hamamcioglu |
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida |
Area served | Florida |
| Services | Car sharing, Car rental |
Number of employees | 5 |
| Slogan | Where car owners make money, and where car renters save money! |
| Website | http://www.carhopper.co/ |
CarHopper is a peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace. It allows drivers to rent cars from private car owners, and owners to rent out their cars for payment.[1]
Car owners can set their own prices, and the company takes 25%.[2] The service has launched in Florida in October 2015. Similar to other car sharing services such as Zipcar, CarHopper utilizes the economic principles of collaborative consumption. However, the peer-to-peer rental model doesn’t require the company to maintain a fleet of vehicles; rather, owners manage and maintain their own vehicles.
The peer-to-peer carsharing concept of CarHopper was inspired by similar online marketplaces such as Airbnb and Uber.
How it works
Unlike traditional car rental services, CarHopper neither owns the vehicles nor maintains them. Rather, they are offering a platform for car owners and renters to connect generating scalability and lower pricing.[3] People who wish to profit from their cars while they're not being used can register the cars online to be borrowed by other CarHopper members.[4]
To make the car available, a car owner that has signed up for CarHopper signs onto the network and states the time and place where the car will be available.The listing will not go live until the user is ready to publish. Owners can charge different prices for hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly rentals. The Descriptions and Features sections can be used to advertise their space. They can outline car rules & etiquette or other descriptions regarding their car. CarHopper allows users to publish up to 6 photographs of the car and offers a free professional photography service.[5]
A member who wishes to borrow a car will reserve a specific time slot for the car online and will pay for the amount of time they signed up for.[6] After the owner accepts a request, they can coordinate meeting times and contact information with renters. After the rental is complete, users are encouraged to rate & review each other. Reviews help build validity and references both for the renters and the owners.
Security Layers
Online Reputation
CarHopper user profiles contain recommendations, reviews, and ratings to build credible online reputations within the platform. Additionally, the site provides a private messaging system as a channel for users to message one another privately before booking and accepting reservations.[7] Owners are never required to accept a reservation. After the reservation has ended, the parties review one another to build website credibility similar to online marketplaces like eBay.
Insurance
CarHopper provides comprehensive, collision and liability insurance coverage via a publicly traded third-party insurer.[8] During an active rental period, this coverage supersedes the personal insurance policy maintained by the private car owner.
DMV Records
To rent a car through CarHopper renters must have clean driving records. Renters must meet the CarHopper Eligibility Requirements, with certain ineligibility based on “incidents”, major violations and alcohol-related violations.
Key Exchange
Unlike other peer-to-peer car sharing marketplaces CarHopper does not have a remote unlocking feature installed in its mobile application. Founder Bora Hamamcioglu preferred this model because "car owners must meet their renters before handing over their car keys and make sure that the person coming to pick up the car is the person that sent the rental request."[9]
See also
References
- ↑ Garvin, Glenn (2015-04-22). "App will let owners rent out their cars". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
- ↑ Garvin, Glenn (2015-04-22). "App will let owners rent out their cars". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
- ↑ "App will let owners rent out their cars". The Miami Herald.
- ↑ "Miami Start-up CarHopper wants to help you rent your car to strangers". South Florida Business Journal. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2015-04-07.
- ↑ , Announcing our Personal Photographer Program
- ↑ "Put Your Car To Work". Miami Today News.
- ↑ Garvin, Glenn (22 April 2015). "App will let owners rent out their cars". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ↑ , CarHopper partners with Fortune 500 company
- ↑ Garvin, Glenn (22 April 2015). "App will let owners rent out their cars". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2015.