Maven, GM's car sharing alternative to standard car rentals, has reached an important milestone for the company with vehicles used through the service having been driven more than 1 million miles.
Maven is an app-based car sharing service that allows users to book and borrow vehicles using their smart phones.
The service started in Ann Arbor, Michigan in February before being launched shortly afterwards launched in New York. The service is now also available in Chicago and GM recently announced that it would soon be expanded to Washington, D.C. and Boston.
But compared to other similar offerings, such as ZipCar, the current market leader for car sharing in North America and Europe, Maven is made up of a couple of different services:
- Maven City allows users to borrow vehicles from rental stations across the cities listed above.
- Maven+ provides on-demand car sharing to residents of large community complexes such as the Aqua luxury high-rise apartment community in the Chicago’s Lakeshore East neighborhood and will soon be available to residents of the Hepburn, a 195-unit apartment community opening next month on the grounds of the Washington Hilton.
- Earlier in the year, GM invested in ride-sharing taxi alternative, Lyft. As a part of the investment, GM has launched Express Drive in Chicago, which uses Maven platform to allow Lyft drivers in the Chicago area to rent a vehicle for use with the service for $99 a week.
It is important to note that the million miles driven by Maven vehicles includes not just its City members but also Lyft drivers using Express Drive.
“Maven enables our members to access transportation how they want it, when they want it,” said Julia Steyn, GM vice president of urban mobility and Maven. “As we continue to expand into key cities, more customers will see how Maven can provide next-gen freedom by seamlessly connecting them with people and places that matter.”.
According to GM, pricing for the service is simple and transparent, and includes insurance and fuel. A gas card is provided with the vehicle, and users are asked to return the vehicle with at least a quarter-tank of fuel to avoid an additional charge.
Other automotive companies such as Jaguar and Ford have also recently announced alternative vehicle ownership services that are focused on providing ride-sharing alternatives to that offered by the likes of Uber and Lyft.
