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BMW’s ReachNow car sharing expands to Brooklyn, launches pilot programs for new mobility services

During a press conference at AutoMobility LA, ReachNow, BMW Group’s free-floating premium car sharing service, announced its expansion into its third city: Brooklyn, NY. The service also introduced four new mobility services: Ride, Reserve, Share, and Fleet Solutions for residential buildings. The expansion to Brooklyn marks the company’s first expansion beyond the West Coast of the United States; the service currently operates in Seattle and Portland.

ReachNow is building on its premium experience by offering members greater versatility through a suite of convenient and easy-to-use transportation solutions, available in a single app for the first time. The four mobility services that will launch as pilots in select cities over the next month include:

  • Ride: ReachNow members seeking an on-demand ride service can order a driver as well as schedule individual and recurring rides in a ReachNow BMW vehicle. ReachNow’s Ride on-demand service will launch as a pilot program in Seattle on 8 Dec. 2016. As the initial test phase continues, ReachNow will expand the Ride service with additional features, including the ability to personalize the vehicle, with temperature and music preferences as well as a “do not disturb” for members who wish to have a more restful experience, and a loyalty program to earn ride credits for use across all ReachNow services. The ReachNow Ride scheduling feature will be widely available to members in early 2017. Members can request to join the pilot program by emailing [email protected].

  • Fleet Solutions: ReachNow Fleet Solutions will offer residential members an unparalleled level of convenience with exclusive use of BMW i3 electric vehicles and BMW 3 Series that remain onsite at select apartment and condominium buildings or complexes. ReachNow Fleet Solutions for residential buildings will begin at The Solaire, a LEED Gold Certified building, in Manhattan’s Battery Park City neighborhood on 8 Dec. 2016. Residents of The Solaire can inquire with building management. Property Managers interested in learning more about ReachNow Fleet Solutions can email [email protected].

  • Share: MINI owners of 2016 or 2017 model year vehicles are invited to join the ReachNow Share pilot program in Seattle. Share enables MINI owners to rent their vehicles via ReachNow when they don’t need access to it, helping to offset the cost of car ownership. Vehicles can be rented for a minimum of two days. ReachNow Share service will begin in Seattle on 15 Dec. 2016. Members can contact [email protected] or see their sales or service advisor at Seattle MINI to determine eligibility for participation.

  • Reserve: Beginning in October ReachNow members who wanted to use the vehicles for longer trips of 2 to 5 days could select a vehicle via the ReachNow app and see multi-day price caps automatically applied. To make longer usage even more convenient, ReachNow Reserve will enable members to schedule a vehicle to be delivered at their preferred time and location. This expanded ReachNow Reserve service will begin in Seattle in early 2017. Members can request to join the pilot program by emailing [email protected]. More information will be provided closer to the Reserve service launch.

When we first launched the ReachNow service in April, we discussed plans for several mobility services that would make our more than 32,000 members’ lives easier and more convenient. Today, just under eight months and more than 1.2 million member miles later, we are delivering on those plans and continuing to build upon the successes of ReachNow by offering Ride, Share, Reserve, and Fleet Solutions within one ReachNow app, a first for the industry.

With three of these new services rolling out in our home headquarters city of Seattle and one in our newest ReachNow location in Brooklyn, we expect ReachNow will continue to grow rapidly as a welcomed addition to one of the biggest and most diverse cities in the world.

—Steve Banfield, ReachNow CEO

ReachNow is one example of the BMW Group’s continuing commitment to the development and expansion of sustainable urban mobility solutions. ReachNow is available via the App Store and on Google Play. The new ReachNow mobility services will be combined into a single app for testers only. Following the initial test phase, ReachNow will expand the pilot program to current members in the local market.

ReachNow free-floating car sharing vehicles are typically charged at a standard rate of $0.49 for each minute the vehicle is used, and $0.30 per minute while parked, with a one-time lifetime registration fee of $39. For a limited time as part of an introductory offer, ReachNow will charge just $0.41 for each minute the vehicle is used and registration is free of charge.

All prices are inclusive of insurance, fuel and parking at public meters (applicable to Seattle and Portland) on the street within the designated Home Area, plus taxes and fees. ReachNow automatically caps pricing at multiple different tiers: $50 for up to 3 hours, $80 for up to 12 hours, and $110 for up to 24 hours.

As part of the Reserve service that will launch in early 2017, ReachNow has added price caps for trips lasting 2-5 days: $180 for up to 48 hours, $250 for up to 72 hours, $300 for up to 96 hours, and $350 for up to 120 hours.

ReachNow members can locate and book the closest available car in the ReachNow app or find a ReachNow car on the street. Cars can be returned to any legal parking space on the street within the city’s designated Home Area. The Brooklyn Home Area spans north to Greenpoint and Williamsburg, south to Sunset Park, and east to include portions of Borough Park, Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Bushwick. ReachNow’s first East Coast office will also be located in Brooklyn, NY.

ReachNow is designed to provide drivers with an experience that is as convenient as owning a car. The user experience is premium and affordable, with fast mobile registration and an almost instant approval process— often in two minutes or less. The initial fleet of 250 vehicles in Brooklyn includes the BMW 3 Series and the MINI Clubman. There are also nearly 800 vehicles in Seattle and Portland combined, including the electric BMW i3, BMW 3 Series, MINI Cooper and MINI Clubman, with plans for fleet expansion. Membership gives drivers access to any available vehicle in any fleet in any city.

Comments

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We need driverless cars for car sharing to become mainstream. Otherwise it is too complicated.

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