NEW YORK and DETROIT, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Enterprise Solutions today (Sept. 8) announced that Verizon Auto Share, a convenient and secure way for drivers to rent, experience and return cars and other vehicles, will be available before the end of 2014. Using a car-sharing application on their smartphones or tablets, drivers can use the solution's Scan & Go feature to gain access to a vehicle of their choice and drive it within minutes. Verizon Auto Share gives rental car companies, auto dealers and other organizations a new and easier way to get their customers going where they want to go, faster. The solution will be shown at the ITS World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, in Cobo Hall (Booth #814) and at the technology showcase on Belle Isle throughout the conference.

Verizon Auto Share is designed to enable enterprises to provide their customers with an enhanced rental experience virtually anywhere and anytime, without interacting with an on-site attendant. The solution is built for businesses across multiple industries to better optimize multiple modes of transportation such as cars, SUVs and vans, for their employees, partners and clients. In the future, Verizon Auto Share will also be available to the public sector including municipal transit authorities to help streamline rideshare and van pooling programs.

"With urban populations projected to represent 7 out of 10 people by 2050, industry experts note that car usership and peer-to-peer sharing via a mobile application is increasingly replacing car ownership as a core part of the connected lifestyle -- particularly among young people," commented Mark Bartolomeo, head of Internet of Things, connected solutions, at Verizon. "Its promise of personal convenience, social improvement and cost savings is hard for businesses to ignore."

"We believe that Verizon Auto Share can help reduce traffic congestion and related emissions while opening up parking spaces and enhancing transportation options—making urban life more convenient for businesses and residents," Bartolomeo added. "Additionally, the solution will allow a wide range of fleet managers to create new experiences for their customers by increasing operational efficiencies and generating new revenue streams."

Verizon Auto Share interface for Consumers
The solution will enable participating companies to provide a customized car-sharing application to their consumers' smartphones or tablets so that they can launch the application. Once logged in, users scan the QR-code on the vehicle's windshield, which captures and validates the unique vehicle identification number. Once this number is obtained from the QR-code and the driver is validated, a key fob appears on the app allowing the driver to unlock and start the vehicle. Drivers can also receive promotional offers such as in-car Wi-Fi and advanced fuel/refill purchase options.

Verizon Auto Share for Enterprise
The Verizon Auto Share solution is service-provider agnostic and converges several of Verizon's strategic services under one umbrella to enhance the driver's experience in an increasingly mobile and urban environment.

• Data shared between the rental car company and the driver, such as the driver's general preferences for future rentals, can be encrypted and stored securely by participating enterprises in Verizon's Enterprise Cloud.
• Multifactor authentication, such as with a PIN or password, provides an additional level of security for confirming the driver's credentials.
• Powered by Verizon on America's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network, the solution is also expected to include Delphi's in-vehicle telematics device and Vehicle Interface Platform (Delphi Connect).

For more information, email autoshare@verizon.com.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions is a leading provider of advanced IT and communications services to enterprise and governments around the world. Visit Verizon Enterprise Solutions for more information.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 104.6 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 177,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon