the staff of the Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ, Two tragic events on New Year’s Day—the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas explosion—shared an unexpected connection: both involved trucks rented through Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. The San Francisco-based company is now under scrutiny as authorities investigate these incidents.
Turo’s Role in the Incidents
Turo allows private car owners, referred to as “hosts,” to rent their vehicles to individuals through an interface similar to Airbnb. The platform requires renters to be at least 18 years old, possess a valid driver’s license, and pass an approval process. However, in most cases, approval is immediate.
In response to the events, Turo issued a statement:
“We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat.”
The company is cooperating with investigations but faces growing concerns about the adequacy of its screening processes.
Details About the Platform and Its Growth
Founded in 2009 as RelayRides and rebranded as Turo in 2015, the platform now bills itself as “the world’s largest car-sharing marketplace.” By the third quarter of 2023, Turo reported approximately 350,000 vehicle listings, a 16% year-over-year increase.
While the company has seen steady growth, a TechCrunch report noted that Turo’s expansion had slowed in recent years. Despite filing for an initial public offering (IPO) in 2022, the company has not yet gone public.
The Vehicles Involved
The Ford F-150 Lightning used in the New Orleans attack was one of five vehicles owned by a private host renting through Turo. The host identified the truck from news footage and expressed a loss of confidence in the platform, stating that they no longer plan to rent vehicles via Turo.
Turo’s rental interface allows users to browse by city, view vehicle ratings, and read reviews of hosts, providing a streamlined, Airbnb-style experience for car rentals. While the platform promotes convenience, these incidents have raised questions about whether it adequately balances ease of use with renter vetting and security.
Leadership and Future Plans
Turo’s CEO, Andre Haddad, has led the company since 2011, bringing experience from his time at eBay, which had acquired an online marketplace he co-founded. Haddad has positioned Turo as a disruptor in the car rental space, emphasizing its community-driven model.
However, the New Year’s Day tragedies may force Turo to reevaluate its policies and practices. Critics are likely to call for stricter renter screening processes and heightened safety measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
What’s Next for Turo?
As the investigations unfold, Turo’s reputation as a leader in car-sharing may face challenges. The incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas could prompt regulatory scrutiny and lead to changes in how peer-to-peer rental platforms operate.
Stay tuned for updates as we follow the story and explore what these events mean for the car-sharing industry.
It’s called a coincidence.
It’s also a coincidence that both men served at Fort Bragg.
It’s a coincidence because the FBI said so.