RelayRides Launches 'Renting Social' on Facebook, Democratizing Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing

SAN FRANCISCO, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, RelayRides, the nation's largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace, announced a new social innovation called Renting Social that enables renters to advertise their interest in renting a car via Facebook, inviting car owners in their social network to rent their cars to them through the RelayRides marketplace. By enabling renters to use the social network to appeal to friends who may be willing to rent their cars, Renting Social will ensure that wherever renter demand exists, vehicle owners—supply—will soon follow.

Renting Social represents a major shift in the way car sharing marketplaces think about leveraging demand to discover supply and drive transactions. Historically, the car rental industry has relied on vehicle supply to attract demand. Now, RelayRides renters can use Renting Social to attract vehicle owners themselves.

"Our Renting Social product enhancement is a key step toward fulfilling our vision of having a RelayRides car within a 10 minute walk of 100 million Americans by the end of 2015—we think of this as democratizing the benefits of car sharing," said Andre Haddad, CEO of RelayRides. "Following the expansion of our marketplace into 1,450 cities in all 50 states, we are now enabling renters to attract vehicle owners through their own social networks and empower their friends to earn meaningful income—as much as $1,000 a month or more renting their typically idle car."

The new Renting Social feature can be used for rental requests in locations where there are few cars available or whenever a potential renter uses RelayRides' new "carcierge" car-finding service. This socially innovative feature enables renters to advertise their need for a rental car on their Facebook Timelines. The messages can then be shared throughout the users' social networks just like standard posts on Facebook. People who see these posts can then click on them to offer their cars to that person through the RelayRides marketplace. 

The Renting Social product enhancement builds on RelayRides' incredible momentum during the past year. Since its national launch in 2012, the peer-to-peer marketplace has grown rapidly to serve tens of thousands of RelayRides members using thousands of cars in over 1,450 cities in all 50 states. Rental reservation hours increased 750 percent during this period, and active vehicle listings have grown 450 percent to include over 500 unique makes and models of cars and trucks.

About RelayRides
RelayRides is the nation's largest car sharing marketplace. With vehicles in over 1,450 cities in all 50 states, RelayRides is revolutionizing personal mobility by creating better transportation solutions for people everywhere. Efficiently connecting people who need a car with owners whose vehicle would otherwise go unused, it backs each reservation with an insurance policy. RelayRides has raised more than $13 million in venture capital funding from investors including Google Ventures, August Capital, Shasta Ventures and General Motors Ventures. For more information, go to www.RelayRides.com.

SOURCE RelayRides