Getaround, the world’s leading digital carsharing marketplace, announced that the company is expanding operations in the city of Seattle, Washington to increase residents’ access to reliable transportation with expanded carsharing. The company has collaborated with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to bring carshare vehicles to dedicated parking spaces across the city.
“We are glad that more people in Seattle will have access to this transportation option, and will continue to work to foster an environment where innovative mobility companies can try out new ideas and creative business models that benefit the public.”
Seattle regularly integrates new and emerging technology and services into its transportation system with a focus on climate, safety, and equitable outcomes, including bike share and scooter share. The city has ambitious plans to reduce drive alone trips and had one of the nation’s largest drops in the percentage of households who own a car, and the percentage of people who commute to work by driving alone in recent years.
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“Car share is a proven solution to help achieve the city’s goal of reducing drive alone trips. Data from our partnership with San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) showed that 74% of trips were taken with more than one passenger. Getaround is looking forward to working with the city to provide additional mobility options for community members that have a positive impact on the environment,” said Adrienne Moretz, Government Partnerships Manager, Getaround.
Getaround and its patented Connect Cloud technology will be used to provide contactless 24/7 access to these shared vehicles from designated parking spaces across the city, without the need to wait in line or pick up keys. Residents can reserve the shared vehicles for as little as one hour, perfect for all types of trips including going to the grocery store to running errands to visiting friends and family. Getaround is one of the only peer-to-peer carsharing entities to allow guests to book a car on an hourly basis.
Now, local Seattlites can easily access safe, affordable, and convenient cars when and where they need them. Getaround vehicles launched as part of this collaboration can be found in the Madrona, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne neighborhoods of Seattle.
“We’re excited that Getaround is expanding in Seattle, and believe that they play a valuable role in making this a city where people have a variety of options to move around without owning a car,” said SDOT Shared Mobility Program Manager Becky Edmonds who oversees the City’s car, bike and scooter share programs. “We are glad that more people in Seattle will have access to this transportation option, and will continue to work to foster an environment where innovative mobility companies can try out new ideas and creative business models that benefit the public.”
“At Getaround, we want to empower people to share cars everywhere, making cities and communities better places to live, and this recent expansion in the city of Seattle continues to drive that mission,” said Nick Tenekedes, VP of Marketplace, Getaround. “Seattle shares our vision of creating sustainable, affordable, and equitable transportation, while working to reduce congestion and greenhouse gasses (GHG) within the city. We are looking forward to this partnership and what we’ll be able to achieve together.”