BMW ReachNow closes corporate fleet pilot

BMW is has decided to close the ReachNow corporate fleet pilot in Seattle and are trying to find other means to better serve corporate customers.

In March 2017, BMW ReachNow launched its first corporate fleet program at the 8th & Olive office building. This gave the 1,000 employees who work there an exclusive on-demand fleet of BMW 3 Series and MINI Clubman ReachNow vehicles, 24/7. It was basically always available for them to use.

In an interview with GeekWire, ReachNow CEO Steve Banfield said: “The round-trip model didn’t make sense for them,” which refers to the discovery that employees didn’t want to be driven back to the building when they took a trip.

Majority of the building’s employees opted to rent a ReachNow vehicle off the street, just like a normal user. This gave them the flexibility to drive to a destination without having forced to drive back to where they came from.

Banfield said that instead of offering a dedicated fleet attached to a building, they are considering other ways of implementing a corporate fleet.

“At our heart we are a consumer product, but at the same time, there are lots of companies looking for innovative ways to enhance their employees’ lives and how they move in and around the city,” he said. One of those, it’s attaching a rental fleet to the building for easier access.