Rental Details: How to Operate a Gig Vehicle and the App
1. GIG Car Share Trip Process and Parking Guidance
This Trip Process and Parking Guidance is provided to assist GIG Car Share Members with the details of how to reserve and use the Vehicles. If you cannot find answers to your questions in the Agreement, please reach out to Member Support [see Section 1 (How to Contact Us) of the Member Agreement].
2. The Vehicles
Each Vehicle can accommodate up to five passengers, including you, the driver. The Vehicles have an automatic transmission and automatic start – just press the brake pedal and push the “Power” button.
Some Vehicles come pre-equipped with the following items:
- Bike rack with key in the glove compartment;
- A mounted FasTrak toll tag;
- Seats with child car seat attachments (car seats not provided); and
- Fuel card, located in the glove compartment.
Pets are permitted, and, with the exception of service animals, must remain in their carrier.
Smoking is not permitted in the Vehicles, and you may incur a fee if we suspect smoking occurred in the Vehicle during your Rental Period, which is the time during which you rented the Vehicle.
3. Mobile App, Account, and GIG Card
Once you are approved as a Gig Member, you will have access to your account and to the Gig Services through the Mobile App, which is currently available for iOS and Android devices. You can access your account through the Mobile App using your email address and password created during the application process. You can update or correct your personal, contact, payment or other information within your account. We may require that you update your account password and/or your username from time to time. You may also contact Member Support for more information relating to your account.
You can request a Gig Card within the app and use it to unlock/lock a Vehicle.
4. How to Reserve a Vehicle
You can identify and reserve any available Vehicle through the mobile app. Once you make a reservation, you have thirty (30) minutes within which to begin your trip, and after which, the reservation will automatically expire and your reserved Vehicle may be reserved by other Gig Members. There is no minimum or maximum time for which you can use a Vehicle and you do not need to specify a time at which you will return the Vehicle. You cannot make more than one reservation at a time, but you can cancel your Pay As You Go reservation free of charge at any time prior to making a new reservation. Prepaid reservations will be charged full amount even if cancelled. If you cancel a reservation or if your reservation expires before you access your reserved Vehicle, you will be prohibited from reserving the same Vehicle for two (2) hours, but you may reserve or use any other available Vehicle.
We will treat all reservation requests on a first come, first served basis, but we may refuse or cancel a reservation for any reason, including lack of available Vehicles.
You do not need to make a reservation. You can locate a Vehicle using the mobile app. Alternatively, if the RFID reader located near the driver-side windshield has a green light, you can just use the Mobile App or Gig Card to access the Vehicle.
5. The HomeZone
The Vehicles can be picked up and returned only within the identified service zone called the “HomeZone.” The HomeZone is shaded in blue in the Mobile App to show you where you can pick up and return a Vehicle. We also have satellite HomeZones across our service areas, which are designated free parking areas. Please check our FAQs or gigcarshare.com/homezone/ for more information.
Vehicles are permitted to be parked within the HomeZone. These permits allow you to lawfully park within the HomeZone at legal, and not otherwise restricted, metered and unmetered spaces or residential parking permit areas, where the time duration limits must be two (2) hours or longer (i.e., you cannot park in a metered space or a residential permit space that has time limits of less than two (2) hours). We also have designated parking spots at select BART stations and throughout our service area. Please check our FAQs or gigcarshare.com/homezone/ for more information. You also cannot park in any areas marked in red in the Mobile App, other restricted parking spaces (such as vanpool, handicapped parking, loading zones) or in street sweeping zones within twelve (12) hours of the street sweeping. While you are allowed to use paid lots/garages during your trip, you are responsible for all associated fees and costs, and are not allowed to end your trip while the Vehicle is still in a restricted lot/garage or any other space where access may be limited.
6. Beginning Your Trip
A. Locating Your Vehicle
The Mobile App will provide a Vehicle’s license plate number, fuel level, related range, rates, and promotions, and will also provide you with turn-by-turn directions to find your reserved Vehicle. If you cannot find your reserved Vehicle at the location specified in the Mobile App, please contact Member Support immediately for assistance or to make alternate arrangements.
B. Unlocking a Vehicle and Starting Your Trip
You may unlock your reserved Vehicle, or an available Vehicle, through the Mobile App, or as an alternative, through the Gig Card. To unlock the Vehicle using your Gig Card, hold your Gig Card to the Vehicle’s RFID reader located near the driver-side windshield until the light turns from green to orange, indicating that the Vehicle is reserved. Your Rental Period begins once you have unlocked your reserved Vehicle.
7. Pre-& Post-Trip Damage Reporting
A. Exterior/Interior Check
Before you begin your trip, please check the exterior and interior of the Vehicle. Report any damage or cleanliness issues that you see by submitting pictures in the app or immediately contacting Member Support.
If you do not completely and accurately report to us any Vehicle damage or cleanliness issues, including missing equipment or materials, already existing at the beginning of your Rental Period, that damage will be deemed to have occurred during your Rental Period and you will be charged for that damage.
B. Vehicle Operation Check
Before operating the Vehicle, please familiarize yourself with the Vehicle, the Agreement, and the Vehicle owner’s manual. If you have any questions about how to operate the Vehicle, please contact Member Support.
C. Engine / Motor and Fuel Check
Before operating the Vehicle, check that the Vehicle has sufficient fuel levels for your anticipated trip and that no warning or indicator lights appear on the Vehicle’s dashboard. If you believe the Vehicle has insufficient fuel to complete your trip, or if any of the warning or indicator lights appear in a Vehicle, or if there are any other signs that operation of the Vehicle may be unsafe, please contact Member Support to assist you.
Only begin your trip once you have completed all the pre-trip check items outlined in this Section 7 (Pre-Trip Check).
8. Driving Conduct
We expect our Members to follow all traffic laws and operate Gig vehicles safely. Failure to do so may result in suspension or termination of your Gig Membership. Driving behaviors that could result in suspension or termination include, but are not limited to:
1) Excessive speeding
2) Harsh braking or acceleration
3) Sharp cornering
4) Distracted driving
9. Who Can Drive
Under your Gig Membership, you are the only person authorized to drive a Vehicle reserved through your account; provided, however, that another GIG Member with a current Membership that has not been suspended or terminated in any respect may drive a Vehicle reserved through your account. The GIG Car Share Third-Party Liability Insurance will not protect any unauthorized drivers and will not protect you in connection with any loss caused by any unauthorized drivers. For more information about the Third-Party Insurance, please check the Agreement [see Section 22 (Insurance)] or contact Member Support.
10. Making a Stop
You can make interim stops (a “Stopover”) during your trip at any time without ending your Rental Period and you may park in any legal parking space inside or outside the HomeZone. During a Stopover, you are responsible for ensuring that the Vehicle is locked and secured, and for all associated parking fees if you park outside the HomeZone.
To initiate a Stopover through the Mobile App, press “Lock/Unlock,” then select “Lock.” Do not press “End Trip,” as that will end your Rental Period. If you end your Rental Period, another GIG Member may reserve the Vehicle in the meantime and you would no longer be able to use it.
Upon returning to the Vehicle, use the Mobile App to unlock the doors and resume your trip. Stopovers are charged at the regular rates.
11. Ending Your Trip
You do not need to return your Vehicle to the same location where you picked it up; but, you will only be permitted to return your Vehicle and end your trip by parking your Vehicle within the HomeZone, in permitted spaces as described above.
Once you have found a proper parking spot to return the Vehicle, please complete the following before ending your trip:
- Ensure that the Vehicle is turned off;
- Ensure that the fuel card, the key to the bike rack and the Vehicle’s owner manual are in the Vehicle’s glove compartment, and (if in the San Francisco Bay Area) that the FasTrak toll tag remains mounted in the Vehicle;
- Ensure that the Vehicle is clean and tidy and you have left none of your belongings in the Vehicle;
- Ensure that all windows and moonroof, doors, and the trunk are fully closed and that all lights have been turned off;
- Ensure that the Vehicle is returned in its original condition, except for ordinary wear and tear due to reasonable use; and
- Notify us of (i) any damage to the Vehicle incurred during your Rental Period and/or any other conditions that you believe may affect the safety and/or operability of the Vehicle; and (ii) all traffic violation notices and parking violation notices (including from privately operated parking facilities) received during your Rental Period.
To end your Rental Period, the Vehicle must be locked by using the Mobile App or by holding the Gig Card to the Vehicle’s RFID reader. Your Rental Period is ended only when the indicator light on the Vehicle’s RFID reader has turned blue, then green, and the doors have locked. Do not close the Gig app until you are sure the Rental Period has ended.
You are responsible for ensuring that your Rental Period has ended. Otherwise, you will have to pay the Rental Fees in accordance with the Rate Schedule for as long as your Rental Period continues. If you have any difficulties with ending your Rental Period, including if the Vehicle’s RFID reader remains orange, please contact Member Support for assistance.
12. Re-syncing the Vehicle
The Vehicle must be re-synced with our system every 24 hours. If you use the Vehicle more than 24 hours, you must end your trip and start a new one at the 24-hour mark. Re-syncing is necessary regardless if you are in or out of the HomeZone.
Here’s what you need to do:
If you are in the HomeZone (the blue-shaded area in the app), simply end your trip and rebook your car.
If you are outside the HomeZone, call Member Support for (800) 464-0889 for a reset.
Please note:
The process takes less than 5 minutes.
The car must be stopped and in cell range to be reset.
Prepaid rentals kept beyond the time you paid for upfront are subject to late fees.
13. Fuel and Maintenance
Our team will periodically check the Vehicles to ensure that they are fueled up for GIG Members’ use. You can check a Vehicle’s fuel level and related range in the Mobile App before your trip to see if there is sufficient fuel in the Vehicle for your trip. You can only refuel a vehicle during your rental and not after your trip has ended. If, during your Rental Period, you require additional fuel, please contact Member Support. The fuel card will only work at the pump/dispenser at a fueling and cannot be used for any other purchases. After you have completed the refueling process, please return the fuel card to the holder in the glove compartment, otherwise the Vehicle will not start. You agree to only use the Fuel Card to purchase fuel for the Vehicle. The Fuel Card remains our property at all times. You must not:
- Try to read, copy or manipulate a Fuel Card in any way;
- Permit another person to use the Fuel Card; or
- Use a Fuel Card, or allow it to be used, for any purpose other than refueling a Vehicle that you have rented from us.
Further, you must notify us immediately by telephone [see Section 1 (How to Contact Us) of the Member Agreement] if the Fuel Card of your Vehicle is lost, stolen, damaged or not functioning properly.
For out-of-pocket fueling expenses during your Rental Period, email all applicable receipts to [email protected] with the subject line “Member Fueling” within 30 days of the charge. After review, we shall issue refunds for valid fueling expenses within 60 days via a personal check. Validity of fueling expenses will be determined solely by us, based on, but not limited to, time stamp, amount of fuel added. All decisions on refunds are final.
If any of the Vehicle’s warning or indicator lights come on during your Rental Period or if there are any other signs that operation of the Vehicle may be unsafe, you should stop as soon as possible in a safe place and immediately contact Member Support by telephone. Do not continue to use the Vehicle if (i) you believe, (ii) Member Support advises you, or (iii) the Vehicle owner’s manual states, that the Vehicle is no longer safe to drive.
14. Emergency Assistance and Accidents
If you are involved in an accident or emergency situation, before you do anything else, please make sure that everyone is safe. Check the surrounding area for any other unsafe conditions. If someone is hurt, call 911 or the proper authorities immediately.
Do not operate the Vehicle if any conditions exist that you believe may affect its safety or operability. Contact Member Support by telephone immediately to report accidents, breakdowns, defects/malfunctions or damage involving a Vehicle or its equipment, regardless of how minor you think it may have been. You must follow the instructions provided to you by Member Support.
You must take reasonable measures to preserve evidence and prevent any further loss or damage to the Vehicle or the pre-equipped items.
After an accident, you may only continue your Rental Period only with our explicit permission. Unless the Vehicle involved in the accident is towed away, please make sure you find a safe and legal place to park it.