"Dude, where's my car?" It's everywhere.

No longer shall a person be heard saying, "Man, if only we had a way to get there" or "I wish I had some sort of magical transporting device to get from point A to point B." While renting out apartment spaces has surprisingly become a successful enterprise through Airbnb's actions, renting out one's car to a complete stranger is an up-and-coming idea. Many people would probably feel nervous at the thought of letting a complete stranger drive their car, and I am definitely no exception to that sentiment. The thought of seeing your beloved Volvo XC90 getting returned to you piece by piece is not in particular a pleasing thought. "Have no worry though!", cries out JustShareIt. Slowly emerging as an ambitious leader in the new market of peer-to-peer sharing of cars, the company feels it is on the right track. It is on a constant mission to reassure its car lenders that their vehicle will only be lent out to suitable customers, as full background checks are executed to make sure no one is guilty of any significant violations. In addition, the lenders may choose exactly who they lend their vehicle out too, by simply signing in through Facebook and browsing through the many potential suiters!

Why should anyone even participate in this though? It seems to make little sense to lend out a personal item like a car to a complete stranger, not knowing what deviant actions they may inflict on your precious baby. RelayRides, another peer-to-peer sharing car company, definitely feels it has taken care of this significant issue. At a personal cost of about $500, they install "hardware in each car to control the door locks. A smartcard reader is mounted behind the windshield, and the renter presses the card against the glass to gain entry." This allows for the loaner to be trouble free in terms of handing out keys each time the customer yearns to rent the vehicle, and for RelayRides to monitor the vehicle and where it goes each step of the way. To make the deal even sweeter for the loaners, they would receive about 2/3 of the profit for themselves. If one was to rent out his or her car for 10 hours/week, in the span of a year, he or she could make in excess of $3000. Not too bad ehh?

In essence, this is an idea that may completely revolutionize the way we look at traveling. While larger cities may have public transportation available to the people, smaller communities are not as fortunate. People who do not have access to buses or cars are often stranded and cannot do much, let alone anything, about their situations. Finances are frequently the towering blockade for people wishing to own their own vehicle, but simply cannot afford to drop a few grand on the car, and then redundant payments on annoyances such as insurance. Thus, by offering rental rates starting at $6-$8/hour, people have a whole new world open before them. They can now travel to places that were once infeasible for them, or at the very least little accessible to them. Having only to pay for gas, customers do not find their wallet constantly shrinking, and can enjoy the freedom and excitement of this new enterprise. Personally, I consider myself more than lucky that I have access to a car at home and do not have worry with such burdens as paying for gas and insurance. Fortunately, I have gracious parents who find it within them to help me out. Nevertheless, this definitely cannot be said about society as a whole. Sure, there are the select bunch who glisten in the same spectrum as I, but many find themselves fending for themselves in the world of transportation. It goes without saying that I share the vision of RelayRides and JustShareIt to make vehicles affordable and accessible to the outskirts of society, where it most desired, and seldom available. Perhaps, this vision will soon become reality, or it very well may be discarded into the black hole of over-ambitious ideas. All we can do now, is wait, and hope that Father Time allows for this amazing enterprise to extend its welcome for years to come in our everyday world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/technology/car-sharing-companies-link-owners-with-renters.html?ref=technology