DriveNow: BMW and Mini car sharing comes to Milan

From today travelling around Milan is even easier: DriveNow is coming to town, integrating the already existing range of car sharing services. What’s new then? First of all, the vehicles: the car pool is in fact of the highest quality, with Minis as well as the BMW Full Optional 5-door comfort variant (without mentioning the convertibles). Furthermore, during today’s (19 October) launch event, which has been attended by Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala, DriveNow’s Managing Director Andrea Leverano has confirmed the introduction of 20 BMW i3 electric cars as a goal to reach by the end of 2016.

Milan’s Mayor Giuseppe Sala; DriveNow’s Managing Director Andrea Leverano; DriveNow’s CEO Nico Gabriel (on the back).

At 31 cents/minute the service is more expensive than the competitor’s, e.g. Enjoy’s 26 cent/minute for a smart forfour and 25 cents/minute for a Fiat 500 (Editor’s Note: we don’t consider other car sharing companies for comparison, because they don’t offer more than two-seaters). However, if you need a premium service then it’s worth paying the difference for the comfort and performance offered by the German motors: BMW 1 Series, 2 Series Active Tourer, and 2 Series Cabrio; MINI Cooper, Cooper Clubman, and Cooper Cabrio.

It works like this: you can use an app to book your nearest vehicle and drive it to your destination without having to worry about parking (blue and yellow bays) and fuel. Registering is quick and easy: just enter your personal information, together with pictures of your driving license and identity document (all done through the app). The DriveNow team will send the Customer Card to your home address as soon as the documents submitted have been validated.

Additional functions ensure a comfortable experience we are not used to; in order to save precious time, you will be able to identify your routes through the app even before getting into the car (the directions will already be there, memorised by the car’s sat-nav). Other selling points? Let’s say that you have booked a car but another one becomes available near you, and it provides a better fit for your needs. No problem, you can amend your booking at any time through the app. Do you have an Apple Watch? You can indulge in your Knight Rider’s fantasies and open the car door like Michael Knight, just by tapping your wrist.

The service covers a 126 km2 area, so you only need to sign up and enjoy being driven around the metropolitan city centre in your favourite car. If you would like to register for free and get 20 minutes of driving time follow this link. I am waiting for my card; are you?

Editor’s note: This article is proudly sponsored by DriveNow GmbH & Co. KG and endorsed by Flawless Milano. We thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Flawless Milano possible.