Spotify did it for music. Netflix did it for films. For people in big cities, the app economy promised to do the same for cars: making a life without ownership of a couple of tonnes of metal possible.
Businesses such as Zipcar, Enterprise Car Club and Share Now offer app-based car rental by the hour, while the likes of Hiyacar, Turo and Getaround have opened up the ability to rent neighbours’ cars. During the Covid pandemic – and the easy money bubble – it seemed their time had come.
