Wheelz: Car Sharing for Students by Students

A new car sharing service is about to hit the UC Berkeley as soon as next week. Instead of sharing company-owned cars, like ZipCar or City CarShare, Wheelz allows students to share their own cars with members of the campus community. “Campus car sharing. With people you trust,” says the slogan on their swanky website that is currently accepting car owner and driver applications. This service offers the sharing-friendly a varied and affordable buffet of cars from which to choose. Whether students want to impress a date with a 2010 Audi A3 or dash over to Safeway with a 2002 Civic, Wheelz satisfies both appetites. With an intuitive procedure, mobile apps, and a solid infrastructure (akin to ZipCar) Wheelz will be a surefire hit on campus.

I sat down with co-founder and head of marketing Aaron Platshon who told me about the startup’s roots and future goals. “With the rise of social media and mobile technologies, we can now share our expensive resources more efficiently,” explains Platshon about a phenomenon called collaborative consumption. “Cars sit on average 23 out of 24 hours a day, sometimes for weeks on end. Wheelz allows users to make money literally while sleeping or sitting in class.” Sharing cars also reduces carbon emissions and eases the growing parking problem in the bay area. It’s a win for the car owner (make money effortlessly), for drivers (no-hassle wheels), and the environment.

Calling All Car Owners

If you have car that spends its days parked on the curb, you can lend it out to students in need of a quick ride. The process is as simple as filling out a form, setting your rental price, designating a rental schedule, and installing the Wheelz drivebox which allows for keyless entry and GPS tracking. Users make an average of $200 to $500 if they rent it out for at least 10 hours a week. If you own a 2006 Honda Civic, for example, you can make $150 per month. Not bad at all. This sum covers the depreciation and in most cases a significant portion of car payments. Most importantly, you’ll know that your car is being driven by a trusted reviewed student and that your car is backed up by a one million dollar insurance policy. You’ll just have to handle not freaking out when you see your car dash in front of you while walking to class. It would be okay though, since you’ll get a text message that you made $30 that morning.

Need a Ride

If you’re familiar with the ZipCar process, Wheelz will feel just like home since they use a similar reservation process. If you’re a car share noob, here’s how it works: search the web or app for available cars that fit your schedule and budget, reserve it, and unlock it with your Wheelz card. Gas and insurance is included. Best of all, there is no annual fee, so it is a great idea to sign up in case you ever need to reserve a car on a whim.

Car Sharing is the Future

Wheelz is a venture-backed idea that proved successful in Stanford with hundreds of reservations a week. Berkeley, UCLA and USC are up next. Sign up now and experience a new way of transportation that makes everyone happy.