Share Now – Car sharing from BMW and Daimler

In 2019, the company name Share Now was created from the car sharing providers DriveNow and car2go. Through the cooperation of BMW and Daimler and the Car2go/DriveNow merger, the offerings were finally combined. The Share Now offer is now limited to 18 locations in ten European countries. The non-European locations were closed.

Profile:

  • Company name: Share Now GmbH
  • Industry: Mobility, Sharing Economy
  • Formation: 2019
  • Managing director: Oliver Reppert
  • Location: Berlin
  • Number of employees: 500
  • Turnover: not specified
  • Subscription-based model since: Beginning
  • Offer structure: from € 0.19 per minute, varies depending on car.

In 2019, the company name Share Now was created from the car sharing providers DriveNow and car2go. Through the cooperation of BMW and Daimler and the Car2go/DriveNow merger, the offerings were finally combined. The Share Now offer is now limited to 18 locations in ten European countries. The non-European locations were closed.  

DriveNow and car2go become Share Now

Other services offered by the joint venture between Daimler and BMW include parking (Park Now), charging stations for e-cars (Charge Now), a mobility platform for travel planning (Reach Now) and ride-sharing services (Free Now).

In the area of car sharing with the company, around 14,000 vehicles are available for so-called free floating car sharing. The available cars can be rented on a per-minute basis via the Share Now app and parked again within the area of use. A good 25 per cent of the vehicles are electric. In some cities, 100 per cent of the vehicle fleet is electric (Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris and Stuttgart).

All Inclusive – the Share Now prices

Share Now costs vary depending on vehicle type, location, rental period and time of day. The prices already include everything. Charging, petrol, maintenance and even parking fees within the business area. Depending on their needs, users can choose between the minute rate, hourly rate or daily rate. In the minute tariff, Share Now prices start at €0.19 per minute (If you need a car for a short trip), the daily tariff “starter” from €24.99. If the rental starts or ends at an airport, there is an additional airport surcharge of between €5.99 and €13.99 depending on the airport. Alle Fahrzeuge sind haftpflichtversichert. The daily rate can be booked for a maximum of 14 days.

The car sharing provider accepts debit and credit cards  (Visa, MasterCard) as well as SEPA direct debit as payment methods.  In addition, users can earn Share Now credit by charging or refueling vehicles. The credit can then be used for the next reservation.

Always on the move with the Share Now app

The Share Now cars are booked via the Share Now app. For registration, the user has to upload his driving licence in the app. For this purpose, he is asked to send a selfie to be able to identify the identity. Verification and activation takes place within three working days. The user then also sets his or her “magic PIN”, which is always used to open a car.

The user then searches for available vehicles via the app, reserves them and then has 20 minutes to start the vehicle. Some vehicles in the fleet are keyless. The BMW and Mini range cars can be unlocked via app and then started simply by pressing the start button. Cars with keys have them in the glove compartment, which can be unlocked by a code displayed in the app. On arrival at the destination, the driver ends the rental period via the app.

If the car is not needed until later, it is also possible to book in advance via the app. When the user arrives in another city, the vehicle he or she has booked is already waiting for him or her.

Car sharing: the trend to pay for mobility and no longer for cars – a future model?

Just a few months after the merger of Daimler’s car2go and BMW’s Drive Now, the company is pulling out of the US.  The move was announced in February 2020 due to “extremely difficult realities”. A downsizing of the Share Now offering is also on the cards in Europe. Users make too little use of the car sharing offer. This is also because of well-functioning alternatives such as taxi companies or classic rental cars, which can also be booked via smartphone app.

In addition to the consumer business, providers such as Share Now are therefore also focusing on corporate car sharing. With ” Share Now for Business”, companies can make Share Now vehicles available to their employees as company cars. Special tariffs and simple billing models make business use attractive for entrepreneurs.