Getaround Shuts Down Permanently in US

San Francisco-based car-sharing service Getaround has permanently turned off its engines in the U.S. All of its US employees are facing layoffs effective this Valentine’s Day.

The peer-to-peer car rental company had its headquarters at 55 Green St. in San Francisco up until last year, but paid a $3.6 million as part of a negotiated settlement to terminate its lease. The company estimates that it will spend between $1.5 million and $2 million in severance payments and benefits to US former employees.

Getaround CEO AJ Lee said in a statement, “Despite significant improvements in overall profitability and extensive restructuring efforts, the company has faced an ongoing lack of liquidity which has made U.S. operations no longer viable.”

Getaround plans to continue its EU operations in France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium and the United Kingdom, where it is the leading car-sharing platform.

Stuart and I made some fun content with getaround back in the 2010s, it was a bonanza for the car-share market back then. And the service always worked great for us. But yesterday we got this ‘goodbye’ letter from Getaround:

“Yesterday, we made the difficult decision to start the wind down of our U.S. operations. This decision was not made lightly and is part of a broader effort to streamline operations and better focus on our most strategic opportunities in Europe. 

If you currently have a rental in progress ending today, we will continue to support you until your trip is complete. However, all new U.S. rentals have been canceled, and we are working closely with hosts and drivers to return vehicles as soon as possible. Any outstanding claims or balances will be handled through the wind-down process.

Please note that after today, Getaround is at risk of no longer being able to provide liability insurance coverage in the U.S. If you have a car currently rented, we strongly urge you to return it by the end of the day to avoid any gaps in coverage or responsibility for damages, as required by various state laws. If you don’t, you may be personally responsible for ensuring it has the required liability insurance coverage.

Additionally, Getaround’s car protection program will no longer apply to any vehicle not returned by the end of the day. If a car is not returned on time, you will be fully responsible for any damages incurred.

While this marks the end of our journey in the U.S., our platform still operates in our 6 markets in Europe: France, Norway, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Austria and we would love to welcome you there for your future travels.

We want to take a moment to thank you for being part of this movement—your participation has helped push the world toward a more shared and sustainable future. We are deeply grateful and hope to see you on the road again soon.

If you have any questions, we’re here to help.

Best Regards”