Car-sharing is growing in popularity – and more drivers means more damages

Transportation services that are shared among travellers are referred to as shared mobility, and it’s taking the world by storm. By sharing vehicles, rather than privately owning them, there are many benefits such as: 1) cost savings, as you don’t need to purchase and maintain a new vehicle, 2) sustainability, as most car-sharing companies offer electric options, and 3) flexibility, as you can pick up and go whenever you need.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for shared mobility has become even more evident as commuting and travel needs are constantly changing. Despite working from home and travel restrictions, people are now preferring a form of shared mobility for occasional trips, such as micro-mobility (Felyx, Lime), ride-sharing (Uber, Bolt) or car-sharing (SHARE NOW, MyWheels). In addition, a study from Mckinsey explains how fewer people are choosing private ownership of cars and are shifting towards the pay-per-use model, generating an expected 20% annual growth rate through 2030.

Due to this shift, shared mobility companies need to adapt to a rise in demand and ensure their vehicles are always available for use. With more usage of the vehicles, comes a natural increase in wear and tear, and damages as well. In addition, most car-sharing companies offer electric and other highly advanced vehicles in their fleet, bringing added levels of complexity, and requiring a more specialised repair handling approach. This means they will need a reliable repair and maintenance network to keep the vehicles functional and attractive and minimise off-road time.

From working with many leading car-sharing providers, such as Sixt share, SHARE NOW, MyWheels, Cluno, and others, Fixico offers insights on how a digital repair management solution can support these companies in keeping their fleets in top shape and establishing service networks as they expand to new territories.

Efficient repair management is a key success factor for shared mobility companies

The traditional way of handling car repairs is often lengthy, manual and mostly reliant on repeated communication and coordination between fleet managers and body repair shops. For shared mobility companies, time is money and the old fashioned method of repair management will not suffice. As organisations seek to optimise operations and meet increasing customer expectations, these companies will need a more efficient way to coordinate with body repair shops, and get the vehicles back on the road safely and in as little time as possible.

Additionally, many cities around the world are ready to adopt the car-sharing trend. However, before these companies can expand, they will first need to establish a service network for every city in which they operate. As soon as their new customers start driving these vehicles, inevitable damages will occur, and having a network and efficient management process can make all the difference for a successful expansion.

How digitalisation can support effortless car-sharing journeys

Car-sharing companies are redefining the future of the automotive industry with their innovative platforms that make it easier for the customer to choose among a variety of cars, select different subscriptions, and pick up a car anywhere, anytime. However, for this trend to continue, companies need to improve the way of handling the car repair process to always have vehicles ready to rent and meet the increasing demand.

Fixico’s solution makes it easy - a digital platform that enables access to an expanding network of specialised repair shops across Europe. Fixico helps fleet managers of car-sharing companies optimise the repair process and cut out non-value-adding activities by streamlining workflows, leading to decreased lead times and costs, and by intelligently matching every unique damage to its most suitable repairer.

With this solution, every repair journey is smooth. Through Fixico, fleet managers not only save time and money per repair, they also can view holistic insights over their own process, the repair shops’ performance both regionally and individually, and vehicle damages. This information can prove useful in tracking progress and making strategic business decisions. Companies using Fixico’s platform to digitalise car repair handling were able to reduce cycle times by 32% in 2021. Fixico’s network consists of more than 2,500 body repair shops and is active in nine countries.

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