WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The FBI continues to search for motives for the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas explosion.
Drivers in both incidents rented their vehicles through Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental agency.
Chris Hassan is a writer for the travel website Upgraded Points.
"During the pandemic, they grew really quickly because the major rental car companies were having issues with supply, and their prices were skyrocketing," Hassan said via Zoom. "Turo really found their niche there, saying, 'Hey, you've got an extra car, you can rent it out.' And that's where they really started taking off."
I asked Hassan why someone would choose Turo over a traditional car rental agency.
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"With Turo, you can rent a very specific car. If you want to go to the beach, you can rent a Jeep Wrangler or a convertible. If you want to go skiing, you can rent an SUV. You can choose the exact car, color, and spec, everything you want."
I searched Turo listings in our area from Palm Beach County to the Treasure Coast, and found there are more than 500 vehicles available.
They range from a 2013 Fiat, which you can rent from $27 a day, to a Lamborghini Huracán, a 2018 model in Palm Beach, which you can rent for $664 a day.
Hassan says it's too soon to see if the two incidents will hurt Turo's business, adding, "I think it could have happened with any type of car rental company."
In a statement on its webpage, Turo writes:
It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that this morning's horrific attack in New Orleans and this afternoon's Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas both involved vehicles rented on Turo. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
Our trust and safety team is actively partnering with law enforcement authorities to share any information that could be helpful in their investigations. We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related.
Turo is dedicated to fostering a trustworthy marketplace. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals. We are devastated by these horrible incidents and remain dedicated to helping the authorities however we can.
