RelayRides Launches Neighbor-to-Neighbor Carsharing in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- What does a family do with their seldom-used vehicles in the eco-conscious city of Cambridge? They are fast becoming participants in a new neighbor-to-neighbor carsharing service, RelayRides (www.relayrides.com) and are lending out their idle cars to their community. The service allows them to make thousands of dollars in income per year by sharing their car when it would otherwise be idle.

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Car owners can enroll their vehicles into the network for free. After setting the availability and rental rates, the car becomes available at the owner's designated location to trusted RelayRides members.  The provided $1,000,000 insurance policy takes effect during the actual reservation, so the car owner's existing insurance is unaffected by participating in the service.  A small, removable computer is set up in the car to allow smartcard access, thus removing the need to exchange keys during rentals.

"Carsharing has been embraced by Cambridge residents for years, as a convenient, affordable alternative to car ownership," says Shelby Clark, Founder and CEO of RelayRides. "Neighbor-to-neighbor carsharing is a natural evolution that taps into the existing resources in our neighborhoods." He adds, "With vehicle safety inspections and driver record checks, this service is very safe and convenient."

Borrowers can join for free to rent cars from local residents by the hour or by the day, on-demand. There is no enrollment or annual fees – they only pay a flat hourly fee, which covers gas and insurance, and then access the cars with a smartcard and drive. With express approval, they can even sign up and drive the same day. Rates start at just $6/hour.

RelayRides borrowers get access to a wide ranging network of vehicles in their neighborhoods, from a high-end Porsche and Jaguar to agile Subarus with bike racks to Hybrids and everything in between. Dozens of car owners and hundreds of borrowers have already enrolled. To learn more and enroll, visit www.RelayRides.com.

About RelayRides

RelayRides is the world's first operating neighbor-to-neighbor carsharing service. RelayRides enables car owners to make money with their underused cars while providing those in need of a car with affordable access to transportation. Learn more at www.RelayRides.com.

SOURCE RelayRides