Private car sharing
The term private car sharing describes the joint use of a vehicle of one or more automobiles , in which the owner makes his cars available to others for a limited time. This concept is also known as neighborly car sharing , private car sharing , or peer-to-peer car sharing .
Private car sharing can be viewed as a special form of classic car sharing in which the participants conclude a private contract for the common use of one or more vehicles. In this case, car sharing is done privately; it is usually a small group of private individuals who know each other. However, car sharing can also be professionally organized by an operator who takes care of the booking system and invoicing.
In order to legally support this model, the Verkehrsclub Deutschland , for example, offers a neighborhood car contract. There are also various providers of appropriate car insurance .
Insurance models
Depending on the provider, there are different models for insuring the car and any damage caused. The normal vehicle insurance of the vehicle owner usually does not cover liability and comprehensive damage if the owner surrenders his car to a person who is also not defined in the group of drivers in the policy. In the event of damage, normal insurance can refuse to pay or demand recourse if it turns out that the terms of the policy have been violated. In addition, in the case of a regulated damage, the no-claims class (SFK) of the owner will worsen and the insurance premium will increase.
Car sharing insurance
Various providers offer special liability, partial and fully comprehensive insurance and cover letters. The conditions offered may not take into account the vehicle owner's no- claims discount that he had with his previous vehicle insurance. Depending on the insurance company, this is suspended from twelve months to seven years without downgrading. With car sharing insurance, the vehicle owner and the car sharing driver bear a deductible in the event of damage, with the driver usually bearing the larger share.
On-top insurance
In addition to the vehicle costs, the vehicle owner receives a share from the driver for these insurance premiums, while the old insurance of the owner remains. The supplementary insurance covers the damage to the vehicle, while damage to third parties continues to be borne by the owner's insurance. The subsequent premium increase of the liability insurer is partially covered by the on-top insurance.
Daily insurance
When concluding the rental contract via the brokerage platform, the tenant concludes an insurance policy that is valid for the same period. This covers both liability and damage to the rented vehicle. The actual insurance of the vehicle is free of charge for this period, which means that there are no disadvantages for the lessor in the event of damage. Graduated deductibles through different premiums are possible.
procedure
In general, the platforms work according to the following scheme:
Registration
Tenants and landlords have to register in advance and provide certain proof of identity. A credit card check is also carried out for tenants. Vehicles on offer must meet certain criteria and have a valid inspection sticker ; the overdrafts otherwise tolerated in Austria are usually not allowed. The lessor can also set certain conditions with regard to the rental period, driver and travel destinations (abroad not allowed) and set the price within a certain framework. The vehicle is advertised with a description and photos. The availability of the vehicle is continuously recorded in a calendar. In the case of automatic systems, an on-board unit is installed in the vehicle, which incurs assembly costs and equipment rental.
inquiry
Interested parties have the opportunity to search for a vehicle for a certain period of time according to defined criteria and then to inquire. As a rule, the tenant is given the opportunity to check the rental data and possibly also to contact the person making the request before accepting the rental. It is often necessary to make several inquiries, as rejections are not uncommon. The acceptance rate for a vehicle can usually be seen in the inquiry. In the case of options with automatic acceptance, there is no possibility of rejection. Too many rejections also affect the ranking of the landlord. If the tenant receives a confirmation, the final booking can be made. After paying the rental price plus insurance and other fees, the rental is fixed. As a result, tenants and landlords can still find the meeting point and other details. The platforms usually offer their own chat option for this. A cancellation at this time - except for legitimate reasons - may be subject to a fee. For data protection reasons, tenants and landlords will only find out the exact data of the other after the fixed booking, the location of the vehicle is only roughly disclosed.
handing over
The renter meets with the landlord to hand over the vehicle. The landlord checks the identity and validity of the tenant's driver's license. Then the mileage, fuel level and previous damage are recorded, the vehicle is explained and the necessary documents and keys are handed over. From then on, the renter is responsible for the vehicle. It is important not to hand over the vehicle before the agreed start of the contract, as there is no insurance cover. The logging takes place either on paper or with the platform's app. With automatic systems, the exact location is announced and the vehicle can be opened directly with the mobile phone. Evidence photos are usually to be taken before departure. The car may only be picked up and driven by the renter, but an additional driver who meets the required conditions may be reported.
return
The renter will return to the agreed meeting point and hand over the vehicle with a similar inspection. If there are deviations from the agreed mileage, fuel level, cleanliness and timing, corresponding additional payments are due. In the event of a delay (e.g. past midnight), it must also be ensured that the insurance is still valid, otherwise a contract extension is necessary. The tenant must also be present in person when returning the vehicle. With automatic systems, the car is parked independently and locked with the mobile phone.
payment
The tenant pays the price set by the landlord with the premium for the selected insurance model and possibly a contract fee by credit card. It can also be checked whether the deductible is covered in the event of damage, so that refusals can only occur here. Any compensation for the return can then also be paid directly between the partners. After the end of the rental period, the landlord receives the total price minus the commission transferred to his account either after a few days or over billing periods.
Traffic fines
The renter is responsible for any traffic violations committed. A fee can often be charged for the trouble that the landlord has with anonymous directives , contradictions , driver surveys , etc.
providers
Provider in Germany
As of August 2019, the providers Getaround , GETAWAY and SnappCar are active on the German market .
The portal tamyca.de started in November 2010 , followed by the portal Nachbarschaftsauto.de in March 2011 and in May 2011 the portal Autonetzer.de followed, which has now introduced the model of liability and fully comprehensive insurance that has now been adapted to all German platforms.
Rent-n-roll.de was launched as a further platform in Germany, but stopped its service again in spring 2014.
In September 2014, the neighborhood car and car network merged and thus formed what they say was the largest platform for private car sharing in Germany.
The French provider Drivy has also been represented in Germany since November 2014. In May 2015, Autonetzer was taken over by Drivy. According to its own information, Drivy currently has 40,000 cars on the platform. In 2020 the company was taken over by the US Getaround and also operates under this name in Europe, but cross-continental use is not (yet) possible.
Adam Opel AG also launched a portal for private car sharing under the CarUnity brand in May 2015, which discontinued the platform in August 2017.
tamyca joined the Dutch provider SnappCar in mid-2017 . At the end of 2017, the Berlin provider Getaway published its app for renting and renting private vehicles in Germany. GETAWAY always equips participating cars with an onboard unit and offers spontaneous car sharing via smartphone even in rural regions
Provider in Austria
In Austria there are several platforms that enable private car sharing.
In October 2009, the Caruso Carsharing platform was launched, bringing people together in Vorarlberg who share their cars and those who want to share a car. Groups are formed whose members know each other and permanently share a vehicle at a common location. The reservation system is offered free of charge. If an on-board unit is also installed in the vehicle, an electronic logbook (also suitable for the tax office for business trips) can be exported and the car can be unlocked using a mobile phone. The operators offer advice on insurance, legal aspects and the calculation of the tariff for group members.
The 24/7 car sharing platform began in February 2012 with both the concept of team use and individual rental. The operator was Die Software Manufaktur , and from April 2014 IBIOLA Mobility Solutions GmbH . The placement was initially free of charge, the insurance was provided by Niederösterreichische Versicherung , but was not mandatory. Therefore, motorcycles and even a boat were offered. The rental price was paid when the property was handed over to the landlord. It was not until 2017 that the platform switched to compulsory insurance and billing, and a commission of 14% of the rental price was retained. 75% of the vehicles were in the major cities of Vienna , Graz and Linz . On June 16, 2019, the platform was closed with a short warning period and without giving reasons.
The ÖAMTC put 2015 mobito also a free platform for the joint use of vehicles ready, there was an electronic logbook. The system was discontinued at the end of 2019 due to the lack of interest.
Getaround is also active in Austria ( Drivy until 2019). Due to the discontinuation of the other platforms, this is currently the largest broker. There is a collaboration with Allianz Versicherung , the commission has been 25% since 2020 (previously 21%). Connect, the automatic takeover via an on-board device that exists in major German cities, is not offered here. Since Getaround is represented in half of Europe, this platform is also interesting for tourists who want to go on excursions at the holiday destination. However, trips to Croatia , Southeast Europe and Liechtenstein are not allowed.
Provider in Switzerland
In Switzerland there are only a few platforms that enable private car sharing, but a car parts community has existed since the end of the 1990s.
Differentiation from commercial car sharing
In contrast to commercial car sharing (also known as classic car sharing), ownership of the vehicles remains with private individuals. The use of private car sharing is less about making a profit and more about sharing the monthly costs of cars between private individuals.
Different aspects
When it comes to private car sharing, some aspects should be taken into account, as the differences to commercial rental are serious.
Tenant
They have to remember that although they book through a company, they get the vehicle from a private person. Only the owner guarantees the safety and maintenance condition. Tests by consumer protection organizations or automobile clubs often reveal glaring defects in the rental vehicles, especially with the tires. Tenants must also be asked more precisely about the purpose and destination of the trip when making inquiries, as landlords z. B. rather give your vehicle for a family outing than a student tour. While commercial rental companies can usually provide a replacement vehicle immediately, it can happen that the ordered private vehicle fails at short notice without replacement. For longer rental periods, the rates from car rental companies can even be cheaper.
landlord
They must bear in mind that renting out also entails responsibility and work. Maintenance and cleaning of the vehicle are necessary on a regular basis. For handover and return, appointments that are agreed with your own working hours are necessary. The most popular rental dates are not during the week, but rather those holidays and long weekends when you might want to use the car yourself.
More kilometers also mean more wear and tear, which means that repair costs also increase. In the event of a breakdown, there may be a mobility guarantee for the tenant. If the reason for this is damage that was not caused by the renter, the cost of repairing and bringing the vehicle home must be borne by the lessor. Some repairs are only paid for by the insurance company on a pro-rata basis according to the service life of the spare part (clutch damage, tire damage).
After accidents, despite the carsharing insurance, you can still fall back on your own official insurance company in the event of problems, and this could refuse services or seek recourse due to the fact that paid rental is excluded .
It is advisable to keep a logbook to ensure that the registration holder is required to provide information about who the vehicle was left to and when . It should be noted that platforms can be set and the documents stored there are no longer available.
Financial
Depending on the amount of income, taxable income must be assumed from a certain limit. Depending on the country-specific regulations, reports to the tax office are necessary. The landlord is solely responsible for this, the platforms indicate this.
Others
Private car sharing can be understood as a variant of the trend "rent or borrow instead of buy", which the American Rachel Botsman describes as collaborative consumption in her book What's mine is yours . It is not what is consumed that changes, but the way it is consumed. Consuming collectively is paraphrased by Botsman as follows: “We are experiencing a shift from an I culture to a we culture.” Smartphones, general online communities such as Facebook and Twitter, and primarily purpose-serving communities facilitate and accelerate financial transactions .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b more possibilities for energy-efficient mobility through car sharing. momo Carsharing 'a project funded by the European Union . Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) , accessed March 8, 2011 .
- ↑ https://www.forschungsinformationssystem.de/servlet/is/81497/?clsId0=0&clsId1=0&clsId2=0&clsId3=0
- ↑ Boom in partial cars - self-made car sharing
- ↑ You and my car
- ^ Verkehrsclub Deutschland : Neighborhood car contract .
- ↑ vcd.org
- ↑ pressebox.de , pm.pressbot.net .
- ↑ Autonetzer , tamyca , neighborhood car
- ↑ carsharing-experten.de .
- ↑ focus.de .
- ↑ handelsblatt.com .
- ↑ Drivy.de
- ↑ handelsblatt.com .
- ↑ CarUnity: Opel gives up its car sharing project . In: computerbild.de . ( computerbild.de [accessed on March 14, 2018]).
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Getaway: Rent private cars - spontaneously and conveniently with Getaway. Retrieved on March 14, 2018 (German).
- ↑ tagesschau.de: Private car sharing: Like Airbnb - only for cars. Retrieved on March 14, 2018 (German).
- ↑ kurier.at 2012: Private car sharing: More and more car owners want to share their vehicle with others.
- ↑ carusocarsharing.com
- ↑ carsharing24 / 7: Platform for private car sharing in Austria , Startup valley.news on February 11, 2016
- ↑ I do it ambassadors: carsharing 24/7 , Land Steiermark
- ↑ Facebook carsharing247
- ↑ mobito - discontinuation of the service , ÖAMTC
- ↑ Getaround homepage
- ↑ verkehrsclub.ch 2015: Auto parts - CarSharing.
- ↑ Private car sharing portals , active - advice for employees on October 15, 2019 by Silke Becker
- ↑ Private car sharing - what you need to consider , RP online on January 26, 2018
- ↑ Kerstin Bund: Mine is yours. Zeit Online, December 19, 2011, accessed on October 4, 2012 : "We are experiencing a shift from an I culture to a we culture."