Skip to main content

Verizon launches Auto Share platform

Seeing an opportunity to streamline the way people rent, borrow and use vehicles, Verizon has announced a new car-sharing platform that allows drivers to rent vehicles by scanning a QR barcode with their mobile device. The announcement, made yesterday at the World Congress, promised that the wireless platform will be available by the end of the year.
September 8, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Michael Burgess of Verizon with the Auto Share application
Seeing an opportunity to streamline the way people rent, borrow and use vehicles, 1984 Verizon has announced a new car-sharing platform that allows drivers to rent vehicles by scanning a QR barcode with their mobile device. The announcement, made yesterday at the World Congress, promised that the wireless platform will be available by the end of the year.

According to Michael Burgess, a telematics representative for the company, Verizon Auto Share is just the first in a long line of possible share applications. Bicycles, construction equipment and government vehicles are just some items that Burgess says are shareable and need to be tracked and the renting process streamlined.

Verizon’s car-sharing mobile app is available on iOS, Android and Windows and allows drivers to search nearby cars available for sharing. The driver then has to scan a QR code on the vehicle’s windshield and authorise payment information. A key fob screen with lock/unlock, horn, trunk access and ignition functionality is then accessible.

No interaction is required with on-site attendants, and transactions over the Verizon wireless network are secured by Verizon Managed Security Services and Identity Verification.

The app can also be used for fleet management, helping organisations centralise location, diagnostic, usage and lifecycle information on a single mobile platform. Additional features such as in-car WiFi and fuel purchasing options will also be available.

Several cars connected to the Auto Share platform are being demoed during the show on Belle Isle. In addition, Burgess said that the company is in the process of setting up pilot programmes to field test the solution with rental car companies, dealerships and other organisations that rent or share vehicles.


Booth: 814
%$Linker: 2 Asset <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 47437 0 oLinkAsset <span class="mouselink">www.verizon.com </span> Verizon Website true /EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=47437 false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Q-Free reinforces ITS capabilities, expertise at World Congress
    September 18, 2012
    Q-Free intends to use its appearance at the ITS World Congress to reflect a broader and more accurate reality of the company’s strength and capabilities. That’s not going to be difficult, if one considers the technological and geographical diversity of the company’s success since the beginning of this year alone.
  • Arada thinks small is better
    May 22, 2012
    In an effort to break stagnation in the DSRC market, Arada Systems has developed a DSRC radio that can plug into any device with a USB port. The idea is that USB will help proliferate DSRC and drive down pricing, leading to a wave of new applications and innovation.
  • Aimsun Online in award-winning San Diego ICM project
    February 21, 2014
    The Aimsun Online real-time decision support system for traffic management will take centre stage at the TSS-Transport Simulation Systems stand. Its dynamic, high-speed simulation of large areas allows traffic operators to accurately forecast the future network flow patterns that will result from a particular traffic management or information provision strategy.
  • Latest barrier innovations from Saferoads
    March 10, 2014
    Australian company Saferoads will use Intertraffic Amsterdam 2014 to release what it says are unique products to the European and American market – the Ironman Hybrid portable safety barrier system, the Omni Stop energy absorbing bollard, and the Safepole impact absorbing light pole. Standout feature of the Ironman Hybrid is that it is a ballasted portable steel barrier, tested to 100km/h, that requires no anchoring. Saferoads says it delivers the deflection performance of concrete with the durability a