AAA’s Gig Car Sharing Service Now Live In Bay Area

Gig, a car sharing app created by AAA, the emergency roadside assistance service, is live in California’s Bay Area as of Monday (May 1).

According to a report in TechCrunch, Gig comes out of A3 Ventures, AAA’s venture capital unit with the car sharing service which takes users one way and is now open in Oakland and Berkley. Gig takes a page from Enterprise’s CarShare or Zipcar, but what makes Gig different is that users don’t have to return the car to a specific location.

Gig has a fleet of 250 Toyota Prius c cars that users pay $2.50 a mile to rent. They can also pay $15 an hour or $85 for the day. Once the person is done with the car they can leave it at any public parking lot or metered parking space in Oakland and Berkley, noted TechCrunch.

In the future, Gig plans to have parking stalls near the BART stations in Oakland and Berkley. Gig is able to make parking a breeze thanks to a deal with both cities aimed at providing progressive transportation options for residents.

Gig celebrated its launch at a Daybreaker event held Monday at Oakland’s Lake Merritt amphitheater. Daybreaker is a drug- and alcohol-free morning dance movement that is being adopted around the country. Gig was able to get in front of more than 8,000 people who had RSVP’d for the sold-out event, noted the report.

On its website, Gig said its cars have room for five, cargo space and a bike rack, making it easier for users to get around town. Because it’s one-way trips, Gig says it increases the convenience factor and enables users to get more done with one car sharing experience. Gig also promises to find the cheapest way for users, whether they end up paying per mile, per day or per hour.