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April 21, 2021

Carshare company Getaround comes to downtown Hartford's 777 Main St.

Contributed San Francisco-based carshare company Getaround has launched a new service in downtown Hartford at the 777 Main St. apartments.
By Sean Teehan

Downtown Hartford apartment building 777 Main St. has partnered with San Francisco-based carshare company Getaround, which now has three vehicles on the property available for short-term rentals.

Developer Bruce Becker, who converted 777 Main St. from office space into a 285-unit residential building, said the deal with Getaround places three cars -- a Volkswagen Tiguan, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V -- in three desirable parking spots across from the Old State House building.

"It is a program that I think will be great for our own residents and also for the larger community of downtown Hartford residents and beyond," Becker said Wednesday morning.

Users can download Getaround's mobile app and create an account, and then use it to rent cars by the hour -- typically about $12 per hour --  or by the day for about $70. 

Photo | HBJ File
Developer Bruce Becker has received tax deals in both Hartford and New Haven.

Becker said 777 Main St. is not paying Getaround fees or providing resources beyond the parking spaces as part of the deal. He expects them to stay for at least six months, before evaluating the program's success and deciding whether to continue.

The deal with Getaround comes a few years after 777 Main St. pursued another prospective carshare program with Zipcar. Those talks came close to reaching a deal, but ultimately ended without one, Becker said.

Available cars for short-term rental could be a boon for downtown Hartford, Becker said, because it allows residents in the area access to a car without the expense of owning one.

"We sort of pride ourselves in offering a living situation where you don't have to have a car," Becker said. 

If successful, Becker would like to see Getaround add more cars to its downtown Hartford fleet, including all-electric vehicles, he said.
 

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