General Motors' car-sharing program Maven, the auto giant's latest foray into alternative transportation services, has expanded into San Francisco, marking its ninth market since launching in January, the company announced Thursday.
Maven's entry into one of the nation's leading technology hubs puts it squarely in competition a number of car-sharing programs such as Zipcar and Getaround that are already popular in the city.
"Either GM spends money to convince someone who doesn't want a car to buy a car, or spends it getting into another business," said Dan Grossman, Maven's chief operating officer.
Maven buys cars from GM and pays for the maintenance, repair and gas. In addition to the revenue from the sale of cars to Maven, GM will reap the profits from Maven's car-sharing business. The cost of renting a car starts at $8 per hour
