Car Sharing for Residents

By Mallory Bulman

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Demographic trends show that Millennials and Baby Boomers (the two biggest demographic cohorts in the U.S. right now) alike are flocking to urban areas for jobs, the amenities of living in a major metro area or both. However, with city living come some challenges: cars, for one, are hard to park and store in most metro areas, but public transit isn’t reliable or desirable every time one wants to get out of their part of town.

Enter Maven by General Motors: a car-sharing platform that allows properties to offer their residents premium cars for rent by the hour or day through a convenient phone app. Maven offers free membership to renters, so they only pay when they use a car. Rates start at $8 per hour. 

GM manages and owns the cars, the property doesn’t have to deal with any investment for the amenity. Rick Range, of Maven’s business development team, said that residents love the easy-to-use amenity, which makes city dwelling more convenient. As of May 2017, Maven has 80 vehicles available to rent in Manhattan, and plans to bring the service to the outer boroughs. 

“The addition of Maven City car sharing is an opportunity to showcase what we have learned. We crafted this experience with residents of the city in mind and see this as becoming part of the lifestyle of New Yorkers,” Julia Steyn, vice president of General Motors Urban Mobility and Maven, said.

Maven in available for consumers in 17 North American cities, including San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles.