Dive Brief:

• Car-sharing platform Getaround is expanding its partnership with Uber to four cities — Los Angeles, San Diego, and soon to Philadelphia and Washington, DC — after a successful pilot in San Francisco, the companies announced Thursday.
• Getaround allows users to rent and drive cars owned by other people in their neighborhood. Through the partnership, users can rent what the company calls "rideshare-ready" cars by the hour and use them to drive with Uber, covered by insurance. An introductory offer is also completely free for up to 12 consecutive hours; after that, drivers pay a $5 per hour flat rate for use of the vehicle.
• The partnership first launched in San Francisco in May 2017; according to Getaround, the program was expanded from a few dozen cars to hundreds based on demand. "We’ve seen rapid and consistent car-sharing adoption in each of these cities — that, in conjunction with Uber’s successes in those markets, and we knew these would be great expansion markets as we continue iterating and planning for future growth," Greg Shay, Getaround's director of business development, told Smart Cities Dive in an email.

Dive Insight:

The initial partnership with Getaround was part of Uber’s diversification beyond ride-hailing, into more forms of mobility. Uber this year also acquired dockless bike-sharing company Jump, and partnered with software company Masabi to provide public transit information and ticketing through its app. Uber has also been linked to scooter firms Bird and Lime.

For Getaround, which allows hourly rentals for just $5, the partnership with Uber expands its scope and brings in a new customer base. CEO and co-founder Sam Zaid said in a statement that the expansion "aligns with our two-fold vision to help people earn income from their cars and to empower people to live car-free."

"With our on-demand and integrated solution, more people will now have faster and easier access to rideshare-ready cars for as little or as long as they’d like," Zaid added.

To participate, users will have to clear Uber’s screening process and upload a driver’s license. The vehicles, available in parking lots, will come with necessary equipment like Uber decals, phone mounts and chargers, and come backed by Getaround insurance and Uber customer support. "We know that many people want to drive with Uber, but don’t have access to a qualifying car or want to use their own car," Shay said. "This partnership helps provide people with access to a qualifying car so they can tap into a great economic opportunity."