Andre Haddad

by Andre Haddad

posted on August 12, 2020

Français

A decade of car sharing in the books

This summer marks 10 years of Turo — what a decade it’s been! There is so much I could say about our progress over the past 10 years of putting people’s cars to better use, but suffice it to say we’ve come a long way since the RelayRides days, and I am so very proud of everything we’ve achieved.

This year has presented a strange road block for Turo, the travel industry, and society as a whole, as COVID-19 continues to make deep waves around the world. It’s been a significant challenge for our business and people everywhere and has tested our definition of normalcy. However, looking back with a wider perspective, our resilience and strength as a community has been amazing to witness and I’m confident that together we’ll emerge stronger and better than ever.

Speaking of — our wonderful community is the driving force of this whole adventure and has been behind all the progress we’ve made. The mobility landscape has evolved significantly in the last 10 years, and we take pride in the fact that our community has helped put us at the forefront of that evolution. Together, we’ve pioneered car sharing as an appealing and convenient transportation option and changed the economics of car ownership, empowering car owners to turn their depreciating investments into assets.

Today, we have a thriving global community 14 million strong and a robust marketplace with vehicles all over the world. So, a huge thank you to all of you who’ve shared this journey with us! While all the biggest and brightest things still lay on the horizon, let’s look back on some of the numbers and people that help tell the story of the last 10 years of Turo.

Our host community is the backbone of Turo. From delivering cars to guests to paying special attention to cleaning and disinfecting their cars this year, our hosts have put in the work to provide exceptional service for travelers from around the globe. I thank them for all their hard work and positivity and look forward to fueling more adventures together.

For everyone who shares their car on Turo, hosting expands how they view car ownership in material ways. For many, car sharing goes a long way in helping make payments or covering expenses like insurance and maintenance. Some start hosting with the intention of creating a small business, while others simply want a little extra cash in their pocket. We’ve seen host earnings change lives in big and small ways, and I’m delighted that so many people have been empowered during their hosting journeys.

There is a small number of hosts who have been sharing their cars since the very beginning of Turo. They’ve been with us since car sharing was a novel idea, and have seen both the industry and our marketplace grow leaps and bounds over the years. Here are the three longest-tenured hosts who still have vehicles listed on Turo.

You may have noticed that I made the list! I have been a proud five-star host ever since I first listed my Porsche 911 back in 2012, and I look forward to continuing to serve the Turo community!

Since the beginning, we found that people book cars for a wide range of reasons. As the supply and diversity of vehicles on Turo have grown, the possibilities have positively mushroomed. Weekend adventures, local errands, family road trips… the list goes on.

All-time, about 490,000 vehicles have been listed on Turo, and I’m always pleased to say that we boast the widest selection of vehicles available anywhere — from an A3 to a Z4. On Turo, travelers have an unprecedented level of choice, and empowering that choice has always been a big aim of ours. When you find the exact car you want to have your adventure the way you want it, it makes every trip that much more memorable.

It comes as no surprise, then, that car enthusiasts have found themselves right at home in our community. It’s an incredibly special thing that people are able to access cars they’d otherwise never be able to drive — high-end sports cars, classics, and exotics — shared from one enthusiast to another. We are so glad to help facilitate those experiences and to be a part of those memories.

Since 2010, we’ve built an expansive global marketplace, connecting travelers with cars across the US, UK, Canada, and the world. The people in our community come from all walks of life, and I am incredibly proud of the supportive, inclusive culture we continue to cultivate. With the help of trusted local hosts, millions of travelers have gotten the opportunity to explore new places, sights, and sounds they would’ve never discovered.

In the midst of a turbulent 2020, I can’t help but smile as I reflect on all the progress we’ve made together over the past decade. I’m honored to have all of you in our ever-growing community — your enthusiasm has truly been the engine driving this journey. Thanks to you, car sharing is here to stay. Here’s to 10 more years of Turo, and many more!

 

Andre Haddad

Andre Haddad

Andre is the Turo CEO and a true car enthusiast. After many years in the consumer web space, he combines his passion for cars, technology, and the environment each day at Turo as he works to put the world’s one billion cars to better use.

Turo Host in Las Vegas posing with her Chevy Impala
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