Lyft Inc has partnered with the U.S. unit of German rental car group Sixt SE to expand its in-app rental business to carless city dwellers eager to take a trip.
Users can book a designated car through the ride-hailing app, add insurance and extras and directly pick up the car from the rental lot without waiting at the counter. Lyft already runs a limited rental car program in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area without the involvement of any car rental companies.
While rental car demand has plummeted across the country as a result of the pandemic and driven several companies, including Hertz Global Holdings Inc, into bankruptcy, demand in large cities with lower car ownership rates has boomed. In New York City, many rental locations have run out of cars and prices skyrocketed as residents seek to escape on extended trips.
Read the article at Reuters.
