Ford Invites its Customers to Rent their Vehicles

It is known that Ford’s main business is to sell cars, but it also operates a number of other services. Its app-based GoDrive service already allows Brits to rent a car on a pay-as-you-go basis. Now, the company is asking its US and UK customers to rent their own vehicles out to other people and offset the money against their car payments.

The company is inviting approximately 12,000 Londoners and a further 14,000 US customers from Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago and Washington D.C. to join its new scheme.

In the United Kingdom, the company has joined hands with easyCar Club, a sister company of budget airline easyJet, to provide on-demand cars for younger drivers.

On the other hand, in United States it has collaborated with Getaround, who will be doling the heavy lifting.

In this scheme, like Airbnb, renters can search for a nearby car, book online and then collect the keys from the owner (either in person or from a safe), earning them some extra money in the process.

Ford said customers who have credit agreements with the company can get themselves enrolled for the six-month pilot from today, with signups closing on August 1.

However, it is still to be seen whether customers will feel comfortable handing over their keys to a complete stranger.

Ford has lagged behind competitors, notably General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG's Audi, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and Tesla Motors, which have all announced plans to begin offering semi-automated driving systems over the next 18 months.

The move elevates a low-key research effort to a higher-profile advanced engineering project, and signals Chief Executive Mark Fields' intent to accelerate Ford's presence in the area.