BMW rolls out premium car-sharing service in Seattle, pay by the minute

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,284   +192
Staff member

BMW on Friday (re)launched a free-floating car-sharing service that allows people to rent nearby vehicles as needed. Short-term, one-way rentals of BMW 3 Series, Mini Cooper and i3 vehicles are available as of writing to those in the Seattle area.

Those interested in giving it a shot will first need to download the ReachNow app for Android or iOS and register. The company says most drivers are approved and can drive within minutes so long as you’re at least 21 years of age, have a valid debit or credit card and a clean driving record.

Once approved, the app can be used to find nearby vehicles for rent (assuming you don’t already have one in sight). Pricing is handled on a per-minute basis.

Expect to pay $0.49 per minute while actively driving and $0.30 while parked. The rate includes fuel / charging, insurance and parking costs at public meters and in residential parking zones within the Seattle home area. There are also automatic price caps of $50 for up to three hours, $80 for up to 12 hours and $110 for a full 24 hours.

It’s worth pointing out that there’s a one-time registration fee of $39 and a $1 per trip shared asset fee that’s used to help maintain the fleet as well as a host of other “uncommon” fees (a $50 fine for smoking in the vehicle, for example). There’s also a massive 17.3 percent tax rate that you’ll have to consider.

The German automaker is currently running a promotion that lowers the driving rate to $0.41 per minute and eliminates the registration fee. BMW says you can even reserve a ride for up to half an hour at no cost.

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Literally every other form of transport is cheaper than this. If you're in a city better to just walk, take mass transport, or hail a cab. Makes even less sense if you're in the suburbs. $30 / hour or just buy your own car at $120 / month plus $50 for gas. Plainly easy choice.
 
Literally every other form of transport is cheaper than this. If you're in a city better to just walk, take mass transport, or hail a cab. Makes even less sense if you're in the suburbs. $30 / hour or just buy your own car at $120 / month plus $50 for gas. Plainly easy choice.
but..but...it says premium!!!
 
Did I miss something here? Why would anyone ever do this? If you need a car for a day, just go to a car rental place and pay $35 or so for a budget compact sedan, for the day.
 
I don't get this either. By the time you pay all the cost/fees/taxes/one-time this and that, you could almost just purchase your own private jet.
 
Literally every other form of transport is cheaper than this. If you're in a city better to just walk, take mass transport, or hail a cab. Makes even less sense if you're in the suburbs. $30 / hour or just buy your own car at $120 / month plus $50 for gas. Plainly easy choice.
where could I get a car for $120 a month?
 
where could I get a car for $120 a month?

All over the place. So long as you don't have to have the latest and greatest and have decent credit you can get that easily. Just don't expect a family vehicle at that price.
 
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