BMW-owned ReachNow starting today brings its ride-hailing and car-sharing services into one app. It takes on Uber, Lyft, and traditional rental companies in the rapidly-changing transportation industry. No other company has offered both the services of ride-hailing and car-sharing until now.
ReachNow is offering both the services to a handful of cities across the US. It originally launched a car-sharing service two years ago, rolling out hundreds of free-floating vehicles in Seattle that people can rent and drive.
Last summer it began testing a ride-hailing product called Ride that uses the same fleet and also lets customers hail a professional driver.
With a big app update this week, ReachNow is bringing both services together in one place as Ride comes out of beta. It’s the first time a transportation company has done so and follows similar attempts to consolidate mobility options in one place. Now the people of Seattle can easily rent from hundreds of BMW and MINI cars scattered all around the city.
We truly consider in owning the IP and understanding the data and analytics – Simon Broesamle, ReachNow’s chief customer officer.
He goes on to explain his moves saying that the service will provide valuable insight into when people want to rent cars and when they want to rent drivers.
The new design of the app features a destination bar that provides a price estimate and ETA for either an available car or Ride vehicle. For those renting a car, a destination is now automatically sent to the in-car navigation system where you’ll be needed to enter your pin number in order to start and end a trip. Once the driver is done with ride-hailing, they can put it back on the street, and five minutes later it can be used for car sharing.
Broesamle said that ReachNow won’t add cars to its fleet for the new ride-hailing service, instead; it will rely on usage data to strategically position the vehicles it has.
As like Uber and Lyft, ReachNow customers who are hailing a Ride car can too set the radio station, temperature, and request “Quiet Mode.” They can also schedule a Ride pick-up for later, from 20 minutes to up to seven days in advance.
The app splits its fleet for the ride and car sharing according to the time and location like it might make more ride drivers available at busy locations rather than shared cars.
Till now the service is available only to a handful of cities like Seattle, Portland, and New York. The rate starting is little higher than Uber and Lyft with a $3.24 minimum and includes a $2.40 per-mile charge, plus $0.40 per minute.
This new service will help the people of Seattle and other selected cities to enjoy their ride whether it’s a meeting with friends or a night out. With ReachNow one can sit back, relax and let the driver handle the road.
