The goal of automation, therefore, is not to eliminate the owner from the process entirely, but to ensure that they only have to deal with tasks that genuinely require human decision-making. Handing over the key, locating the car, check-in, check-out, and many types of notifications can already be handled remotely with technology.
What does contactless car rental actually mean?
The idea behind contactless rental is simple: the renter and the owner do not have to be in the same place at the same time. After booking and verification, the renter receives the necessary information, makes their way to the car, completes the required check-in process, and then gains access to the vehicle.
This may seem like a small change at first, but it makes a big difference in business terms. If the renter arrives at 6:40 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m., you do not have to wait in a parking lot for forty minutes. And if the car is in another district or even another town, you may not need to travel there just to hand it over.
This turns rental from an appointment-based handover into a self-service process.
How does remote car handover work?
In practice, the process consists of several steps. First, the renter verifies their identity and accepts the rental terms. When they arrive at the car, they document its condition. This may include taking photos of the car and recording the odometer reading and fuel level.
Once all the necessary steps are complete, the system can authorize the car to be unlocked. The key can then be left inside the car in a designated location, allowing the renter to use the vehicle as they normally would.
At the end of the rental, the process works in reverse: parking, photos of the car’s condition, recording the mileage and fuel level, returning the key to its place, and then locking the car.
With a well-designed system, the owner does not have to be there in person at the start and end of every rental.
What can remote car unlocking be used for?
One obvious use for remote unlocking is, of course, handing over the key. But it can do more than that. For example, if you need to let a cleaner, mechanic, or other service provider access the car, you may not need to hand over a spare key or travel there in person.
It can also come in handy if the renter accidentally leaves something in the car, or if access is needed in an unusual situation.
The important distinction is that you do not need to control the use of the car itself from your phone at all times. Technology primarily simplifies the critical points of handover and return; after that, the renter can use the key just as they would with any other car.
Automation is about more than unlocking the doors
When people hear “contactless rental,” many think only of an app unlocking the car. But that is just a small part of the process.
For example, you can automate sending the activation message, guiding the renter through check-in and check-out, checking the car’s location, handling certain notifications, and tracking whether the car is in use or has been returned.
The aim of a well-designed system is to ensure that the owner does not have to administer every booking, but can simply oversee the process.
Why does this matter for a side income?
If someone rents out a car alongside a full-time job, they are usually not looking to create another full-time job for themselves. They may be willing to rent out the car for a slightly lower daily rate in exchange for hardly having to manage it in person.
This is where automation becomes truly valuable. With a traditional rental, the owner could lose an hour or two in total to handing over and collecting the car. If this part can be digitized, the same booking starts to look much more like passive income.
And this is not just a matter of convenience. Because it takes less time, renting out an otherwise idle car occasionally can become a realistic option for more owners.
The car does not have to be parked near you
One of the most interesting consequences of remote management is that the rental car’s location can be separate from where the owner lives. If the car can be managed remotely from both a technical and operational standpoint, you can place it wherever demand is higher.
This could be a transport hub, a busier part of Budapest, or even a tourist area in summer. The owner will, of course, still need to check, service, or clean the car from time to time, but they no longer need to travel there in person for every rental.
This is the thinking behind Qber, too
At Qber, this is exactly the problem we are trying to solve. We do not simply want to provide a remote door-unlocking system for the car, but a technological foundation that gradually takes the manual parts of renting off the owner’s hands.
The goal is to make picking up the car quick and straightforward for the renter, while allowing the owner to manage the process remotely without having to arrange a separate schedule around every booking.
Technology is at its best when you barely notice it. The renter reaches the car, completes the required steps, picks it up, uses it, and then returns it. Meanwhile, the owner can see that everything is going smoothly and only needs to step in when necessary.
The real goal of automation is simplicity
Automating car rental is not about cramming as much technology as possible into the car. On the contrary, the goal is to minimize the number of steps that require the owner’s physical presence.
If key handover, condition checks, documentation, and access can mostly be handled remotely, car rental becomes an entirely different kind of business. It becomes a side income that does not necessarily require you to add another appointment to your calendar for every new booking.
And ultimately, that is the biggest benefit of automation: you do not necessarily earn more from each rental, but you spend far less time generating the same income.
