Airbnb exploring car sharing options, may partner with other companies

Airbnb is an online service that lets users arrange short-term rentals of their homes or apartments, serving as an alternative for those who prefer staying in a homelier environment than a hotel room. A survey recently sent to current hosts (those who make their homes available on the service) reveals that the company is exploring car sharing, supplanting the need for a hotel and a rental car. In a statement to TechCrunch, Airbnb discloses that it has been approached by “a number of car sharing companies” and that the survey is designed to “gauge the interest in car sharing” as well as various other hypotheticals. One potential partner is Getaround, which billed itself as the “Airbnb for cars” when it launched at TechCrunch Disrupt a few months ago. It’s not a surprise that Airbnb might want to expand beyond housing rentals, but it’ll be interesting to see whether the company teams up with a third party or simply decides to roll out a solution all its own.