Website offers new car-sharing concept

HOUSTON – When planning her family's recent vacation, Deer Park salon owner Veronica Wilburn decided to think outside of the box.

Instead of using a traditional car rental company like Enterprise or Hertz, Wilburn decided to rent a car from an individual owner.

"I was looking for a convertible because I just thought it would be fun to drive to Florida with the top down," Wilburn said.

Wilburn booked her car rental through RelayRides.com, a San Francisco-based company introducing customers to the concept of "car-sharing." Owners rent out their personal vehicles to strangers for days, sometimes weeks.

"You can get a better car," Wilburn said. "Not only at a better rate, but you can get better features, a car that's got more gadgets."

The site works much like a traditional rental car company. But the list of cars includes standard vehicles and top of the line models like Range Rovers and Porsches.

Customers enter the dates they need and submit a request. But one big difference between Relay and other rental companies is the car a customer picks out is the same car they drive.

Steve Webb, from RelayRides, said car-sharing makes perfect sense economically.

"The average car is sitting idle around 92 percent of the time, and that's costing you on average around $250 a month," Webb said. "Rather than you making money for your car, your car is actually making money for you."

That's exactly what Chris Pancheri had in mind when he bought his dream car -- a 2014 Ford Mustang GT convertible. Pancheri lists his car on RelayRides' website for $75 a day, and he is already turning a profit.

"It's not only paying itself off, but it's actually generating a little bit of money every month," Pancheri said.

So, just how does RelayRides stack up to traditional car rental companies in terms of rates?

KPRC 2 did a price comparison on Enterprise, a compact car, like a Nissan Versa is $39.99 a day. On Hertz, a compact car, like a Ford Focus, is $47 a day.

On RelayRides, a compact car, like a Toyota Corolla, is offered at $25 a day, and a Prius is $36 a day.

RelayRides claims all renters are pre-screened before being allowed to rent vehicles. Relay also offers 24-hour roadside assistance for renters and covers the owner's vehicles with a $1 million insurance policy in case of an accident.

"I almost have 40 rentals so far," Pancheri said. "I have had practically no issues. All my renters have been great."

Pancheri said the biggest reward has been sharing the vehicle he loves so much with others.

"I had a mom and her son that rented it in honor of their father's birthday," Pancheri said. "He had passed away, and all his life, he had driven Mustangs. So she rented it to surprise her son with a Mustang for the weekend. It was really neat."

Pancheri said he's had so much success with renting his Mustang on RelayRides, he's considering buying a new car and adding it to the site as well.


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News anchor, Mrs. and happy mommy of four boys.