Pilot seeks to expand car booking platform

Welcome to the riddle of the “last mile,” a challenge that has vexed private pilots since the early days of GA. While the rise of ride-sharing services has made getting into town from the airport a lot easier over the past decade or so, there are many fields whose off-the-beaten-track nature attracts pilots but repels drivers for hire. Such airports are among the target markets for GoCrewCar, a platform under development in the Pacific Northwest.

Shahzad Sattar, the private pilot who launched the service last year, emphasized that the platform is in its infancy with only a few airports listed, all in the Seattle area, where he is based. He plans to expand within the state, to neighboring states, and eventually across the country to deploy crew cars at as many airports as possible.

He is working to enlist local drivers, as well as airport and FBO employees and others who might be willing to make their cars available. Sattar is also a host with Turo, the ride-sharing company, and plans to work with other hosts to add vehicles to the fleet. His GoCrewCar platform allows potential renters to upload license and insurance information and to buy insurance to cover individual rentals.

Years ago, crew cars, also known as courtesy cars, were more common at GA airports and often became integral parts of the private pilot experience. The vehicles generally were older models acquired inexpensively, or donor cars from airport owners, employees, or local families. Over time, the rising cost of acquiring, maintaining, and insuring the vehicles compelled airport owners to stop offering them.

To be sure, many airports still provide crew cars, but often their condition makes them less than ideal for travelers, Sattar said. “If you are traveling by yourself, it might be OK to use a crew car that is a bit sketchy,” he said. “But I am thinking about family travel situations where that might not work.”

In addition to raising the overall standards of crew cars, GoCrewCar seeks to reduce the “friction” involved in securing them by inviting owners to offer their vehicles for rent at rates around $30 per day instead of the $150 per day that some rental agencies charge for rentals delivered to airports.

Sattar said GoCrewCar also offers flexibility for pilots regarding how long they use the vehicle. In many cases airport courtesy car sorties are limited to one hour, which is OK for dropping a passenger off locally but not enough for a lunch outing or exploring the area. Sattar said he designed his platform in part to bridge the gap between crew cars and traditional rentals.

Sattar said he wants to expand GoCrewCar’s footprint significantly by the end of this year, and is learning as he goes, adjusting the platform based on taking feedback from people using his site into consideration.. Among the things pilots ask for are hourly bookings and a centralized way to reserve crew vehicles that are already available at FBOs. Pilots have been generous with their opinions, he said.

“I have an ongoing list of modifications based on their comments.”