Turo and Avail could be your source for extra holiday spending cash.
How do you feel about loaning your car out to strangers? DIA will now be allowing two different companies to offer car-sharing services that could make you some extra cash while you are traveling.
This fall, the Denver City Council approved a one-year, $36,500 contract with rental service Turo to launch its pilot car-sharing project at the airport. Turo joins Avail, another rental service, in letting travelers rent their cars out to visitors to Denver via the airport.
In a nutshell, the programs allow you to park your car at the airport, head out to your destination, and allow an incoming traveler to use your car while they are in the state. It saves car owners parking fees and saves renters savings on rental cars or ridesharing. Renters can also choose their exact car rather than being at the mercy of traditional rental company availability.
Turo will be renting 10 parking spaces in the West Economy lot, and DIA will receive a portion of the company's revenue. Drivers can rent cars from either company via an app. Hosts can leave their car for pick up while on a trip or deliver the car to someone who requests it.
"Turo has entered into a pilot program at Denver International Airport that lets you pick up and drop off cars in a way that’s efficient, safe, and airport-approved," said Turo.com.
Both Turo and Avail are working on a year-long pilot contract.
In 2019, start-up Drift began a similar pilot at the airport, offering free parking at the USAirport parking lot in exchange for renting out your car to total strangers while you are out of town. However, the project appeared to be short-lived (or has changed names), at least in Denver, as its website is no longer functioning.
What do you think? Would you trust someone else to drive your car while you were away? Let us know in the comments.