Automotive

OnStar now helps owners rent out their cars

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Thanks to a new partnership between GM and RelayRides, owners of OnStar-equipped cars can now rent their vehicles out to make extra money
Thanks to a new partnership between GM and RelayRides, owners of OnStar-equipped cars can now rent their vehicles out to make extra money
The RelayRides app

Want to make some money off that OnStar-equipped Cadillac of yours, that sits unused all day? Thanks to a new partnership between GM and RelayRides, you can now rent it out!

RelayRides is a web-based car-sharing service, but unlike similar groups such as car2go and Zipcar, it doesn’t have any vehicles of its own. Instead, members make their own cars available, at times when they don’t need them themselves. The group screens potential renters and provides liability insurance for each rental, while members receive 60 percent of what renters pay to use their car. Rental rates are set by the members providing the car, who also have the opportunity to approve or decline each rental request.

The RelayRides app

As part of the new arrangement (which was previewed in January), owners of OnStar-equipped GM cars can now register their vehicle with RelayRides via the OnStar website. Using a smartphone app, renters can then reserve the car, locate it, and even unlock it. If a spare ignition key has been left waiting inside the car, this means that renters and car-providers don’t even need to meet in person.

This marks the first time that third party developers have made use of the OnStar API (application program interface), but it certainly shouldn’t be the last – GM plans to make the API available to other developers in coming months.

Source: GM

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2 comments
wraith87
Nice idea, but the amount of security that would be required almost makes the idea too risky. -leaving a set of keys in your car, just asking for it to be broken into -how do you prove who did the damage, photograph it every time you park it? -ensuring its always back when you need it
So many possibilities for things to go wrong.
Gary Richardson
Awesome! Can't wait to rent. Security is provided by onstar and can override vehicle control. So no worries there. Risks may be similar to using PayPal for transactions with unknown individuals.