BMW has announced the U.S. launch of a new car sharing service known as ReachNow. The service will initially launch in Seattle, Washington, but BMW is hoping to roll out ReachNow to three additional cities by the end of 2016.
ReachNow is launching with a fleet of 370 vehicles made up of cars like the BMW i3, BMW 3-Series and MINI Cooper. ReachNow users can reserve one of those vehicles via a smartphone application that is available through Apple’s App store and Google Play. BMW promises that registering for ReachNow will be snap, with the approval process taking between two and three minutes.
“We are currently witnessing an extremely exciting period in the development of the automotive industry,” said BMW board member Peter Schwarzenbauer. “Our customers rightly expect uncomplicated and fast solutions to their individual mobility needs, especially in metropolitan regions. This is why we are supplementing our classic business model with additional services that make life on the road easier for people in big cities.”
In addition to being ReachNow’s pilot city, Seattle will also serve as the location for the division’s North American headquarters.
Like other ride sharing services, ReachNow’s fleet will be scattered throughout the city. Users can identify and rent the vehicle nearest to them via the mobile app. Users can also request a specific vehicle and have it delivered to their location. Another perk of ReachNow is that you can request a chauffeur to go along with your car, which makes the service a little like Uber. MINI owners can also rent their vehicles through ReachNow, although BMW didn’t release further details on that part of the project.
The ReachNow service requires a one-time registration fee of $39. All vehicles are charged at the same rate — $0.49 per minute during use and $0.30 when the vehicle is parked. Rates are capped at $50 for three hours, $80 for 12 hours and $110 for 24 hours.
BMW hasn’t hinted at which cities are next in line for ReachNow, but the company eventually plans to have the car sharing service in 10 major U.S. cities.
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