London Gatwick has become the first airport in the UK to offer a peer-to-peer car rental scheme that allows people to rent out their vehicles to others while they’re away traveling.
The new scheme, which is being offered in partnership with startup Car & Away, has completed a successful trial period and will be available alongside other existing long-stay parking options at Gatwick.
Gary Wallace, Gatwick Airport’s head of car parking, said, “We are always searching for ways to provide new, innovative and ground-breaking services so we are pleased to be hosting this exciting new scheme with Car & Away.
“The new service offers passengers an alternative option when it comes to renting vehicles from the airport and gives them a chance to offset their parking costs.
“Our goal is to help as many people as possible to travel for less, in a convenient way, and airport peer-to-peer carsharing services are another way of achieving this.”
Car & Away founder and CEO Andy Hibbert added, “We’re all used to, and comfortable with, the sharing economy […] so, sharing a car while people go away isn’t such a big step. Especially when owners not only make money out of it but benefit from dropping the car right next to the terminal and get a professional valet to boot.
“For renters we provide a great alternative service that saves time, money and provides you with the exact car you book – not a ‘similar’ one. Our early customer feedback really shows us why these things matter. When it comes to renting cars, together with our partners, we provide a service where everyone wins.”
To use the new service, passengers register via the Gatwick parking website and receive information about Car & Away’s qualifying criteria and the renting process. Their vehicle will also receive a mini valet service, irrespective of whether it is booked for hire while parked at the airport.
Renters can find Car & Away’s available vehicles via the company’s partner, Rentalcars.com, when searching for rental cars from Gatwick. Once a suitable match has been found, the vehicle is available for collection from dedicated Car & Away parking bays, located in the valet arrivals area of the South Terminal.
Once the renter returns, the vehicle is waiting for the owner in the dedicated Car & Away parking bays upon their return from holiday.
Small vehicle owners can expect to earn up to £80 per week in rental income, while owners of larger cars can expect to earn up to twice that amount.
By Hazel King