'It's never been this crazy': With rental cars scarce in Alaska, a car sharing service takes off

[TexasTowelie]

Anchorage resident Jin Chen has a small fleet of vehicles she rents out on Turo, a car-sharing service, including a BMW X6, a Porsche Cayenne and a Volkswagen Tiguan.

The BMW is a new addition she bought in late May.

“It’s never been this crazy,” Chen said.

For June and July, Chen is fully booked and will make $5,000 to $12,000 per vehicle for the two-month span, she said — although those figures are projections, since Turo’s cancellation policy allows users to cancel 24 hours in advance.

Chen is one of many Alaskans now making extra money off Turo, which is similar to Airbnb, but for vehicles. While other car rental companies have a fleet at the airport, Turo “hosts” and renters coordinate how to deliver and return the vehicle. Hosts set prices and a distance that renters can drive daily.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2021/06/16/its-never-been-this-crazy-with-rental-cars-in-alaska-scarce-turo-takes-off/
(Anchorage Daily News)

[JohnnyRingo]

1. At the pandemic onset, agencies sold off their inventory.

It saved them tons of money in insurance and maintenance costs, but now they can't buy new fleet cars because of the new car shortage. In Hawaii, where rentals go for $400 to $500 a day, smart tourists are renting U-Haul box trucks and vans at a fraction.