The person-to-person model is hotting up especially within the car rental arena with news that easyCar is extending its remit in the New Year with its Car Club concept.
EasyCar founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is joined by lastminute.com founder Brent Hoberman and PROfounders Capital on the Car Club venture.
The Car Club will run alongside easyCar's existing car rental and brokerage business and provide cheaper, more convenient car-hire by hooking up consumers with car owners.
The concept follows a stream of similar start-ups, recently featured on Tlabs, including goCarShare and Carpooling.
Meanwhile, research points to consumers being driven to car-share schemes to combat the rising cost of owning a vehicle that might be parked on the street, unused, half the time.
The Car Club owners will be able to set a price and availability for their car with smartphone applications planned to enable consumers to book the vehicles.
Cars will be insured by the Car Club as well as fitted with automated car entry and a tracking system.
Hoberman is taking a seat on the easyCar board as is Rogan Angelini-Hurll, general partner from the venture capital fund.
EasyCar reported profit before tax of £822,000 for the year ended September 30, 2011 - a 64% increase year-on-year.
NB: Image via Shutterstock.