Uber's Car Sharing Is Coming To The US

Uber can coordinate your transportation for a night on the town or make groceries appear at your doorstep. Now, the ride-sharing firm is making it possible to rent a car from your neighbor. Today at a Go-Get Zero event in London, Uber announced that the company's fledgling Carshare service would expand to select cities in North America.

Uber launched its peer-to-peer car share service in Australia last year, following the acquisition of a local company named Car Next Door (which secured funding on the Australian version of "Shark Tank" ) and rebranded as Uber Carshare. Initially, the service will only be available in Boston and Toronto. Uber customers in those cities can browse and reserve vehicles on the app, with rentals available by the hour or day.

The company says it will suggest rates to the vehicle owners, but ultimately, owners can set the price — including fuel — at their discretion. One final note is that the Carshare vehicle must be returned to the same location where it was picked up.

Expanding Carshare to more locations furthers Uber's stated goal to "become a fully zero-emission platform by 2040, with 100% of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit, or with micromobility." 

In particular, the press release from the Go-Get Zero event states, "There are some moments in life when you might need to drive yourself—whether it's to run errands or take a weekend getaway. That's why we're expanding Uber Carshare, our new product that allows you to borrow a car when you need one, so you don't have to own one. By turning any car into a shared car, you're increasing efficiency and contributing to more livable neighborhoods."

Today's Carshare announcement follows last month's Go-Get event in New York City, where it was announced that Uber would establish a telephone number to arrange rides and allow teenagers to open accounts.

A launch date for the Carshare service in North America has not been announced.