Uber collaborates with General Motors Maven car-sharing program

Uber Technologies Inc stated on Tuesday it would partner with car-sharing service Maven, run by General Motors, to enable Uber drivers to lease General Motors automobiles on a weekly basis.

The 90-day pilot is a unexpected move for Maven and General Motors, which with Lyft – Uber’s primary rival in North America – revealed a program in March named Express Drive utilized mainly by Lyft drivers. Maven runs in 10 U.S. cities.

After General Motors invested $500 million in Lyft in January, the Express Drive program was the very first effort to come from the collaboration.

Automakers are progressively aiming to invest in ride services, worried over a forecasted ultimate decrease in private ownership of cars that threatens their core service. Other automakers that have bought ride service programs consist of Ford, Daimler and Toyota.

Rachel Holt, Uber’s local basic manager for North America, stated the service will run in San Francisco at this moment.

The expense each week is $179 plus taxes and charges, Holt stated, without any additional charges if drivers use the vehicle for personal usage.

Julia Steyn, General Motors’ vice president of city mobility, stated the prices for Uber motorists was “at parity” with exactly what Lyft chauffeurs pay, although both companies provide their own incentives.

Lyft spokesperson Sheila Bryson stated Maven’s collaboration resembled how Lyft dealt with Hertz. Lyft drivers can likewise utilize Hertz vehicles through the Express Drive program.

“It’s anticipated that vehicle access to programs have several partners,” Bryson stated.