For nearly 15 years, the car rental app Turo has quietly grown as an alternative to traditional rental services like Hertz and Enterprise. However, the company is now facing scrutiny following its reported involvement in the deadly attack in New Orleans and the vehicle explosion at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
Founded in 2010 as RelayRides, the company rebranded as Turo in 2015. According to a recent company filing, over 3.5 million people booked a vehicle through Turo in the past year. As of September, the app boasted 350,000 vehicle listings in over 16,000 cities.
The app, similar to Airbnb, allows “hosts” to list their cars on the Turo marketplace for users to rent. This model has provided a cheaper alternative for some users. Many vehicles are available for under $50 a day, while others use the app to rent novelty cars such as classic automobiles, high-end sports cars, or even Tesla Cybertrucks. The vehicle used in the Las Vegas explosion was reportedly a Cybertruck.
Turo, which was reportedly considering an initial public offering on Wall Street last year, is facing uncomfortable attention because of the link between the two incidents.
