San Francisco Car Rental Startup Kyte, Once Seen as Hertz Rival, Shuts Down (sfchronicle.com)
- Reference: 0178769472
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/08/19/1840255/san-francisco-car-rental-startup-kyte-once-seen-as-hertz-rival-shuts-down
- Source link: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/kyte-car-rental-shuts-down-20823084.php
> Founded in 2017, the San Francisco company built its brand by delivering rental cars directly to customers' doors, eliminating the paperwork and long waits of traditional counters. At its peak, Kyte operated in 14 U.S. cities, managed a fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles and raised nearly $300 million from backers including Goldman Sachs and Ares Management.
[1] https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/kyte-car-rental-shuts-down-20823084.php
Hertz beat them? (Score:2)
You have to totally suck if Hertz beats you. I mean, the risk with Hertz is that they report your call as stolen after you leave the block.
If a company known for falsely accusing their own customers of crimes beats you, you got problems.
Re: (Score:2)
that will be an $250 damage clam + lost of use fees.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't forget using an AI to "inspect" your car when you return it, and find damage (that they charge you for) that a) was there before you picked up the car, or b) is not there now.
Unless you can get in with the airports (Score:3, Insightful)
You're not going to be able to compete. And because there are a limited number of slots available because of just space constraints in general it means that you're going to have a few big players and nothing else.
It's another industry that inevitably consolidates. Which is why hertz can do terrible things like use a scanner to find the smallest most microscopic blemish after you rent a car and charge you $500 for it.
Sure you can try somebody who isn't using the scanners but give it a few months and everybody will.
Re: (Score:2)
It must be pretty embarrassing (no wonder you post as an AC) when you make rsilvergun [1]look like the smart one. [ajc.com]
[1] https://www.ajc.com/business/2025/07/hertz-customer-hit-with-440-charge-after-ai-inspection-at-atlanta-airport/
Re: (Score:2)
There is Touro as an alternative (peer to peer car rental). But it's rare that Touro beats the major rental companies on price. It mostly makes sense if you want to try out a specific car that wouldn't commonly be found on the rental lot.
Re: (Score:2)
> There is Touro as an alternative (peer to peer car rental).
If your concern as a renter is that you're going to be dinged for a ding, just pay for the extra insurance upfront and be done with it. Turo is worse in this regard, because now you're dealing with your own auto insurance policy if you damage the car you've borrowed, and in many cases these are people loaning out their own personal vehicles where they're going to be even more persnickety about wear and tear that a real rental company is likely to let slide (such as scratches in the trunk area from luggage
enterprise we pick you up (Score:2)
enterprise we pick you up
Who? (Score:2)
I happen to live in San Francisco and I have never heard of Kyte. So, I'm not surprised they failed.
We have so many transportation startups founded here, Uber, Lyft, Getaround, Turo, Shift (RIP), and on and on. But never heard of Kyte!
Ouch, that ... (Score:1)
... Hertz.
"once seen as Hertz rival" (Score:2)
By who?
Re: (Score:1)
If their direct-to-customer model were successful, Hertz would just copy it, subsidize theirs, and drive Kyte out of business. You know, the Microsoft Technique (who stole it from IBM who stole it from the robber-barons.)
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That is pretty much what Enterprise has been doing for years. Hertz apparently is not interested in competing in that market. They are concentrated on the bulk rentals at places like airports, where they can rent lots of cars with very few people.
Re: (Score:2)
Do you not have that in America?
I've been using nationwide hire in the UK. They deliver sometimes pleasingly crap cars. Why pleasing? We if some arsehole cracks your bumper and fucks off, they appear to not give a shit. Works for me!
Re: (Score:2)
While the numbers may not make it a rival (as the title says), it was certainly an alternative (as the article says).
Re: (Score:2)
By whom?
Re: (Score:2)
Themselves, and gullible investors.