Even before BMW Group’s car sharing program was launched in the shape of ReachNow, officials from Bavaria talked about offering people the possibility of putting their cars to work. Yesterday, along with the announcement of a further expansion of ReachNow in Brooklyn, BMW announced that a pilot program is being launched to help MINI owners make extra money with their cars.
MINI owners of 2016 or 2017 model year vehicles are invited to join the ReachNow Share pilot program in Seattle. Share enables MINI owners to rent their vehicles via ReachNow when they don’t need access to it, helping to offset the cost of car ownership. Vehicles can be rented for a minimum of two days. ReachNow Share service will begin in Seattle on Dec. 15, 2016. Members can contact share@reachnow.com or see their sales or service advisor at Seattle MINI to determine eligibility for participation.
By offering this car rental program, BMW gives you the chance to recuperate some of the money you put into your car if you’re willing to let other people drive when you don’t need it.
Unfortunately, no additional details about this pilot are available at the moment so we can’t really do the math and see if the effort may be worth it in the end, but that’s why ReachNow is rolling it out in small steps, testing the ground first. If you decide to become a user of ReachNow though, things are pretty much set up already, with a pricing scheme in use at the moment.
The car sharing vehicles are typically charged at a standard rate of $0.49 for each minute the vehicle is used, and $0.30 per minute while parked, with a one-time lifetime registration fee of $39. For a limited time as part of an introductory offer, ReachNow will charge just $0.41 (cents) for each minute the vehicle is used and registration is free of charge.
All prices are inclusive of insurance, fuel and parking at public meters (applicable to Seattle and Portland) on the street within the designated Home Area, plus taxes and fees. ReachNow automatically caps pricing at multiple different tiers: $50 for up to 3 hours, $80 for up to 12 hours, and $110 for up to 24 hours. As part of the Reserve service that will launch in early 2017, ReachNow has added price caps for trips lasting 2-5 days: $180 for up to 48 hours, $250 for up to 72 hours, $300 for up to 96 hours, and $350 for up to 120 hours.
