Without haste, but without pause, the carsharing is gaining ground in Argentina. The hourly car rental system, which allows the customer to pick it up and return it at one of the points distributed in the City of Buenos Aires, has come to provide a solution to the problem of parking and the high cost of vehicle maintenance.
The experience is still novel and has in the company Learn to the independent figurehead (automakers such as Toyota and Ford already have the service). The initiative follows what Arturo SimoneCEO of the company, explains how “a unique opportunity” to develop the business model in the country and the region in the face of little competition. “We wanted to implement it in Argentina first, do all the tests and go quickly to regionalize the service.“, highlights.
What around here is still a modality with singular edges, in Europe it has already been decades of proven success. Car sharing began in Switzerland in 1987 and has not stopped growing since then. According to market studies it is estimated that there are almost 1 million users in the world, and that the service is present in 600 cities in 18 countries, on 4 continents.
The banner is carried by the Old Continent, where the square is led by Share Nowa German company owned by Mercedes-Benz y BMW that arose from the mergers of Car2go and DriveNow in 2019. In proof that the segment is increasingly interesting to the automakers themselves, at the beginning of last May Stellaris acquired Share Now through its own carsharing firm, Free2move. Between the two companies they will have a park of 12,500 vehicles for rent.
In the United States, meanwhile, the system has had high and low marks, with a good performance by the firm Zipcarwhich has a history of more than 20 years in the main American cities.
Here the numbers are more austere, but the growth curve is vigorous. Keko has one fleet of 250 vehicles, including compact, premium and cargo cars. “Today what is most in demand is the SUV,” Simone emphasizes, adding: “Today any compact car is worth no less than $3 million, and it costs around $35,000 a month to maintain it. Today with $ 40.000 You have a Keko available every weekend of the month”.
According to the rate, a compact car costs $28.50 per minute traveled ($14.25 stopped); the premium is quoted at $36.50 per active minute ($18.25 stopped); and the charge at $33 ($16.50 per minute stopped). The prices per minute and per hour include 50 kilometers of use. Full day prices extend mileage to 180 kilometers per day. The rate includes 2 electronic toll passes per day and the excess value for all vehicles is $20,000.
In cities where traffic has become a real nightmare and vehicle maintenance costs rise hand in hand with inflation, renting a car by the hour can become an elegant outing. “You don’t worry regarding maintenance, looking for parking, any procedure that has to be done with a car. From the payment of the patent, infractions, the VTV, the engraving of crystals, transfer procedures, claims procedures, recovering the money from the insurance. The client simply dedicates himself to enjoying the vehicle and having the feeling of having his own car for a while without all the costs and procedures associated with having it.”, describes the businessman.
From the operational point of view, the Keko system requires downloading the application to the cell phone, having a document and a credit card. The rest is driving.
When comparing the service with those provided by car companies, such as Toyota con Kintoo Ford con FordGoSimone makes the difference: “Our system is the only carsharing platform 100% contactless. It means you don’t have to see anyone. With the same application, the door is opened, the contract is signed, the vehicle is paid and the vehicle is started. We developed a technology that, with geofence systems, links the customer’s cell phone, the vehicle and the person. That, once it triangulates, allows the vehicle to be started electronically. There is no key, there is no one to see. We are the only one that includes fuel and tolls in the price. The time the vehicle is stopped, the rate drops to 50% of the value because that time is not consuming fuel or tires, there is no wear, therefore there is no expense.
Keko units, whether SUV, compact or cargo, are available in more than 100 points in service stations, shopping malls, hotels, airports and traditional parking lots, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. “The trend of sustainable vehicles and the collaborative economy is also imposed in this modality -says the businessman-, which pursues the following scheme: if I use a car that is used by several people, the cost is distributed among all”.
The use of Keko is not restricted to the limits of the city of Buenos Aires, but the client can take it wherever they want within the country. It is only enough that you return it later in some of the 100 points that the company offers within the Federal Capital.
The business model has a regional dimension. The company’s route sheet has the next stops marked in red: the city of Mexico y Montevideo, where they will disembark shortly. For the moment, the expansion towards other Argentine cities was left for later phases.
“We have a regional expansion plan that has already started – says Simone-. We are going to launch Keko in Mexico and Montevideo”. The difference with respect to the Buenos Aires scheme is that the service will also be implemented with electric vehicles.
“The problem in Buenos Aires is the cost of an electric vehicle and especially the charging system. There are no points available in quantity and the household charge would be very burdensome for the homeowner”, he emphasizes.
Last January, Keko obtained the B Corp certificationwhich distinguishes organizations committed to the triple impact -environmental, economic and social- and that put the socio-environmental business purpose at the center of their business model.
As for the triple impact initiatives carried out by the company, the acquisition of certified bonds to offset the carbon footprint of its cars with The Carbon Sink platform stands out, through which it has already offset 41 tons of emissions of CO2.
“Since we launched we have had a growth curve thanks to the adoption of this format. There are days when one opens the application and unfortunately we have to inform customers that We do not have more vehicles available, are days of 100% occupancy. The porteño understood that having a car is totally unnecessary, when one really needs the vehicle a few hours a week”, concludes Simone.