Getaround joins alternative transportation game

This month PSU will give students the opportunity to connect with Getaround, new car-sharing company. Getaround offers students a more sustainable way to get to and from class while giving students a way to make some cash in the process.

A peer-to-peer car sharing company, Getaround focuses on short-term rentals at hourly rates. Unlike Zipcar and other competitors, Getaround does not maintain a proprietary fleet of rental cars. Instead, users rent out their personal cars to one another.

Users can sign up for Getaround services using a free smartphone application.

By connecting users on a social platform, Getaround allows for individual control over the cars rented, including having complete discretion to choose to whom cars are rented. Each user also has the ability to set the hourly rate at which they rent their car.

“Essentially, when you choose peer-to-peer, you give money back to your neighbors and community,” said Getaround co-founder Jessica Scorpio.

“It is a great service for students because owners make an average of $300–400 per month with high-end car owners making approximately $1,500, meaning money in the pockets of students who rent out their car,” Scorpio said. “As a car owner, the Getaround service offers a first-of-its-kind opportunity to make meaningful money off your car.”

The program also makes driving a more eco-friendly practice.

“Each shared car takes between nine to 13 cars out of circulation,” Scorpio said. “At the same time, drivers who participate in car-sharing programs reduce both their driving and greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent.”

Faculty, staff and students who utilize Getaround will also be eligible to receive parking benefits from the university. For students, non-reserved, general parking spaces currently cost students $110 per month (or $330 per term) and a Trimet FlexPass costs $63 dollars per month (or $190 per term). Faculty and staff permits are offered on an annual basis. While Getaround users will pay $143 for a parking space, they will receive a specific reserved parking spot on the PSU campus, according to Transportation and Parking Services.

“Each space is assigned to a specific individual user by Getaround, the same way a reserved parking space would work. We will be creating up to 10 spaces on campus for the pilot program,” Transportation Options Manager Ian Stude said.

Getaround has already begun a pilot program for PSU employees. Students are able to sign up for the service prior to its launch, which is dependent on the pilot results.

“Once the program has gone through some initial testing, we plan to expand it to include PSU housing residents,” said Stude.

Portland State has been involved with several car sharing and alternative transportation companies, including Getaround-competitor Zipcar. The university hopes to provide a variety of transportation options to students.

“Getaround approached PSU largely based on our track record for being innovative in our approach to transportation. PSU was one of the first universities in the nation to partner with a car sharing company, Flexcar, back in 2002,” Stude said.

In addition to its partnership with PSU, Getaround has received a $1.725 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration. Getaround is now partnering with the city of Portland and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium to begin a study of peer-to-peer car sharing.

“We also want to understand if there are lessons to the be taken from the Portland experience with peer-to-peer car sharing that can improve transportation options in future projects, both in Portland and elsewhere,” said Nathan McNeil, project manager of the Getaround OTREC study. McNeil is also a research associate at the Center for Transportation Studies & Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation at PSU.

OTREC plans to collect data over the next two to three years with a full report expected in 2015. Getaround users will be able to opt in to participate in the study.

PSU will continue to work with other car rental companies like Zipcar, as well as to explore more alternative transportation options.

Stude stated that Getaround and Zipcar are on equal footing with the university: “Both companies are providing a form of car sharing service that makes cars available on campus. Having shared vehicles on campus helps to reduce the number of students, faculty and staff who drive their own vehicle to campus.”