Turo, the peer-to-peer car-sharing platform described as the Airbnb for cars, will expand to Australia before the end of the year, the company announced on Tuesday. Local car owners in all major cities, including Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane, can join the waitlist on the Turo website if they are interested.
This is Turo’s second international expansion this year. In June, Turo expands to France after acquiring competitor OuiCar, and the company has expanded into New York State in an effort to meet post-COVID travel needs. Australia reopened its borders to international travelers in February, and the government persuaded a slow and steady recovery of tourism. Summer in the Southern Hemisphere is right around the corner, and with it hopefully international tourists looking to escape winter and drive across the country in a cheap rental. At the same time, car owners might be inclined to host their vehicles on Turo’s platform and earn some extra money in the middle. persistent inflationary pressures.
“We are delighted to offer local guests an entrepreneurial opportunity to supplement their income, while helping to meet the growing demand from Australians and international visitors during the peak travel season across the country,” said Tim Rossanis, Managing Director of Turo Australia. Rossanis was previously responsible for Uber’s growth in retail and new verticals for the Australian and New Zealand market.
“Turo plans to make better use of Australia’s 20 million registered cars and expand access for local car owners to a global market. guest network,” Rossanis said.
Today, Turo’s network is primarily in the United States, but also includes Canada and the United Kingdom. In total, Turo says it has a presence in over 9,500 cities with over 125,000 active hosts and 250,000 active vehicles on the platform as of June. The company also claims that its hosts earn an average of $12,030 per year by sharing their cars.
Turo asked to be made public in January this year, but so far it has yet to debut. The company had no comment for TechCrunch on its IPO, but in a regulatory filingthe company said it expects its operating expenses, and therefore its net losses, to increase significantly for the foreseeable future as Turo acquires new guests and hosts, develops partnerships and expands to the ‘international.
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