Car-Rental Startup Turo’s Safety Team Cuts Vacations Short After Deadly Attacks
- Startup uses risk algorithm to determine price of each rental
- Attacks in New Orleans, Las Vegas, used Turo vehicles
Some workers on car-rental startup Turo Inc.’s trust and safety team have interrupted vacations to monitor and respond to the aftermath of deadly attacks in Las Vegas and New Orleans, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In both incidents, which the FBI has said appear to be unrelated, the drivers used cars they procured on the platform to inflict violence. The attacks, both of which happened Wednesday, highlight how the rental marketplace can be used cheaply and easily to procure large vehicles that can be used as weapons. The incidents are also creating a public relations setback for San Francisco-based Turo, which has had aspirations to sell shares in an initial public offering, and prompted the company to defend its procedures for vetting customers.