Share Now

Share Now
Name	Share Now
Type	Joint venture
Industry	Carsharing
Founded	2019
Headquarters	Berlin, Germany
Area served	Europe, North America (historic)
Products	Short-term vehicle rental, free-floating carsharing
Owners	Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz Group (historic)

Share Now Share Now was a multinational carsharing service formed as a joint venture combining assets from Daimler AG and BMW. It provided app-based, short-term vehicle rentals and free-floating mobility in major urban centers, integrating automotive manufacturing, digital platforms, and municipal parking frameworks. The company operated in conjunction with automaker strategies from Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis and interfaced with mobility regulators in cities such as Berlin, Paris, and Milan.

History

The venture emerged from consolidation trends following the alliances between Daimler AG and BMW and the earlier spin-offs like DriveNow and car2go. Initial structuring involved corporate transactions tied to firms such as Sixt and strategic decisions influenced by mobility policy debates in Brussels and transport planning in London. Expansion phases coincided with industry movements from Renault partnerships to competitive responses from Uber Technologies and Lyft, Inc. as urban fleets, municipal licensing, and emissions regulations evolved. Financial pressures and strategic reorientations by shareholders, including corporate boards at Stellantis N.V. and leadership teams formerly at Daimler AG, shaped later divestments and market exits.

Operations and Services

Services centered on on-demand access to vehicles via a mobile application, interacting with payment platforms like Visa and Mastercard and identity verification providers similar to those used by Airbnb. Operations required coordination with local authorities such as the municipal administrations of Barcelona and Warsaw for curbside use and parking permits, and compliance with transport agencies including Transport for London and regional agencies in Ile-de-France. Customer service workflows mirrored standards set by multinational firms such as Avis Budget Group and Enterprise Holdings for fleet maintenance, insurance handling with underwriters comparable to Allianz and AXA, and incident reporting tied to law enforcement in jurisdictions like Munich and New York City when present.

Fleet and Technology

The fleet mixed compact models and premium vehicles produced by manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis), and derivative partnerships with OEMs such as BMW AG. Vehicle telematics relied on supply-chain components from firms like Bosch and software stacks influenced by platforms originally developed at SAP-scale enterprises. Key technologies included GPS modules sourced from providers akin to Garmin, cellular connectivity over networks operated by carriers such as Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone, entry systems interoperable with hardware from suppliers resembling Continental AG, and mobile apps on operating systems by Apple Inc. and Google LLC. Fleet electrification initiatives intersected with charging infrastructure by companies like Ionity and urban energy policies advocated by bodies such as the European Commission.

Business Model and Pricing

The business model combined per-minute billing, hourly rates, and subscription options paralleling models used by Zipcar and Hertz's mobility divisions. Pricing algorithms referenced dynamic-pricing concepts used by Airbnb and EasyJet to balance supply and demand, while revenue-sharing mechanisms involved parking authorities and municipal concession agreements similar to those negotiated by Sixt SE. Cost structures factored depreciation for assets from automakers such as Mercedes-Benz Group and maintenance costs managed via service networks like Bosch Car Service. Promotional partnerships occasionally aligned with consumer brands like Shell and public-transport operators such as RATP Group.

Market Presence and Expansion

Operations concentrated in European metropolitan markets including Berlin, Hamburg, Rome, Madrid, Munich, and Paris, with historic ventures into North American urban areas such as New York City and Toronto. Expansion strategies examined market conditions in capitals like Vienna and secondary cities governed by transport authorities such as Transport for Greater Manchester. Competitive landscapes featured rivalry with services offered by Free2Move, Maven (by General Motors), and local startups backed by investors like SoftBank and venture capital firms in the Silicon Valley ecosystem.

Safety, Regulation, and Sustainability

Compliance regimes engaged regulators including the European Commission for competition law concerns and municipal licensing boards in cities such as Milan and Brussels. Safety protocols referenced standards from institutions like ISO and testing practices influenced by automotive safety research at TU Berlin and crash-avoidance technologies developed with suppliers such as ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Sustainability measures incorporated electrification commitments in line with targets set by the Paris Agreement and urban emissions limits imposed by low-emission zones in London and Paris, alongside corporate reporting practices similar to frameworks from the Global Reporting Initiative.

Criticism and Controversies

Stakeholders raised issues comparable to debates around Uber Technologies and Airbnb: concerns about curbside space allocation managed by city councils, fleet impacts on parking availability in Barcelona and Rome, and labor questions evoking case law from courts such as those in Germany and France. Critiques also targeted commercial subsidies and municipal concessions akin to disputes involving Sixt and Zipcar, and environmental debates around lifecycle analyses of vehicle-sharing models discussed in academic forums at ETH Zurich and Imperial College London.

Category:Car rental companies Category:Mobility services