Leading vehicle and driving data business, IMS, has teamed up with Turo, the world’s largest car sharing marketplace, to offer a telematics-based vehicle security package to car owners using its platform.
Now, vehicle owners (called hosts) who work with Turo can get IMS’ class-leading telematics hardware professionally installed in their vehicles, with security specialists W4G providing ongoing monitoring and theft recovery services.
Leon Hurst, CEO of Mobility & Government for IMS, said the service is offered via a pre-paid annual subscription, giving owners access to the kind of sophisticated asset tracking service utilised by many of Europe’s leading car rental and insurance companies. He explained that if a host has any reason to suspect their vehicle is at risk, they can notify Turo customer support and W4G will be alerted immediately to take remedial action.
Leon predicted that providing the latest in vehicle security technology will help create further growth for Turo in the UK. “The principle behind peer-to-peer car sharing is just like Airbnb, but for cars instead of houses. Turo users (guests) can rent anything from a Lamborghini to a Fiat 500 through the platform, and owners (hosts) right across the spectrum can get extra peace of mind and confidence from knowing that their vehicle benefits from professional protection against theft or misuse.
“People in the UK have taken to Airbnb like ducks to water, but they have seemingly been a little more reserved when it comes to loaning out their cars. We expect that the access to anti-theft technology through Turo will help allay any remaining concerns and unlock the potential for owners of under-utilised vehicles to earn significant extra income.”
According to Turo, top hosts in the UK make £570 per month from the scheme, and the company is predicting a surge of interest this year, thanks to the Covid vaccination rollout and the huge number of people set to staycation in the UK, with overseas travel likely to remain widely prohibited.
Xavier Collins, UK Director at Turo, said “We are excited for a great British summer and powering people’s staycations after a very challenging year. Partnerships such as this are key to bringing additional security for our hosts and I’m excited to work with IMS and W4G; it will make it even easier for hosts to share their vehicles with total confidence.”
Leon said that while vehicle security was the motivation behind the Turo partnership, other mobility operators are already using connected technologies in various forms to determine how cars are being driven, too.
More information on IMS Vehicle Security Solution at https://ims.tech/security/.
More information on Turo at https://turo.com/gb/en
About IMS (Insurance & Mobility Solutions)
IMS (Insurance & Mobility Solutions) is a vehicle and driving data business, delivering enterprise solutions to over 350 customers including mobility operators, insurers and governments. IMS recently launched its Vehicle Data Exchange, which enables the IMS DriveSync platform to ingest and process data from any source – from OEM embedded units to smartphones and aftermarket hardware. The company, with offices in the UK, Europe and North America, has analyzed over 15 billion driving miles and its algorithms are fed by trillions of data points every hour.
More info at www.ims.tech.
For all media inquiries please contact: Ben Welsh at Certus Communications on 07568 382040
About Turo
Turo is the world’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace where you can book any car you want, wherever you want it, from a vibrant community of trusted hosts across the US, Canada, and the UK. Guests choose from a totally unique selection of nearby cars, while hosts earn extra cash to offset the costs of car ownership.
A pioneer of the sharing economy and the travel industry, Turo is a safe, supportive community over 17 million strong with more than 550,000 vehicles listed and over 1,500 unique makes and models available.
More information on Turo at https://turo.com/gb/en
