Contactless check-in & checkout guide for Turo hosts

Maintain physical distance and safeguard yourself and your guests with these guidelines and tips for contactless Turo trips

Provide peace of mind & thrive in the new normal

With the world opening up to travel once more, physical distancing measures are still recommended by world health officials in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 now and for the foreseeable future. 

Car travel remains an outstanding option for wanderlusting vacationers and business people looking to get back to work, so in addition to cleaning and disinfecting your car thoroughly between trips, Turo hosts should consider offering contactless check-in and checkout options not only to create safe experiences for their guests, but also to lean into current trends and catalyze their car sharing businesses. 

Meeting the evolving social norms head on with grace, savvy, and constructive creativity will help your business bounce back stronger than ever. 

With physically distanced car sharing

To promote physical distancing, consider these remote access solutions to enable contactless check-in and checkout.

Lockboxes

Lockboxes are an excellent, low-tech way to share your keys. Simply follow these best practices for using lockboxes.

Preferred lockbox products

Message your guest within 24 hours before the trip starts to say hi and confirm their license and identity. For your protection, we strongly recommend messaging them as close to the trip start time as possible.

Step 3: Upload pre-trip photos

To be covered by your protection plan, you must document the condition of your car before and after each trip (except if it’s a Turo Go trip). Take clear, well lit photos that show any pre-existing damage, dirtiness, etc.

Follow this photo checklist to ensure you’ve documented the car’s condition completely.

Step 4: Grant access remotely

Once you’ve verified your guest’s identity and uploaded all of the pre-trip photos, you’re ready to grant access! 

Whichever remote access mechanism you’ve chosen — whether via a lockbox code or digital access — message your guest to grant them access to the car when the trip is starting — never before the scheduled start time.

Follow these best practices to help create a seamless experience while driving business and bookings.

In this guide, you’ll learn about:

Secure remote access
Leverage an array of remote access technology 

Remote ID verification
Verify your guest’s ID remotely via the Turo app

Best practices for contactless sharing
From parking to photos, see how to share safely and effectively

Options to enable remote access

• Place your keys in a radio frequency (RF) signal-blocking pouch if your car uses a non-bladed key (see below for more on RF pouches). If you use a blade key, simply pop it in the lockbox.

• Stash your RF pouch inside your lockbox and lock it

• Attach the lockbox to the car or somewhere at the pickup location (a door, fence, etc. — as long as it’s your property)

• Message the code to your guest after they’ve completed the remote ID verification process (see below for a step-by-step guide).

Seasoned Turo hosts have shared these tried-and-true lockbox recommendations.

Turo Go remote unlocking technology

Turo Go is an innovative technology that lets guests book, locate, and unlock eligible cars, right from the Turo app.

Turo Go is currently available for access in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and London, with more markets coming soon. 

Review your eligibility for Turo Go, and see how to host effectively using Turo Go. 

Manufacturer remote unlocking technology

Many car manufacturers have connected car technology built in to the base model options — most cars released after 2015 have a remote locking/unlocking mechanism included.

Check with your car manufacturer to see if you can leverage this feature, and if so, be sure to use the RF pouch recommendations below.

If you’re able to use this feature, be sure to message your guest using Turo messaging so you know when to unlock the car for them.

A step-by-step guide

It’s critical to take precautions to safeguard yourself, your guests, and your car when offering contactless check-in. Follow these steps to help create a seamless, safe, and physically distanced check-in experience.

Step 1: Message your guest

Step 2: Verify their identity

To verify that the person picking up the car is the same person who booked it, ask your guest to upload the following photos to the “Trip photos” section of the Turo app, obscuring the first few digits of the license number in the photos for their safety. (Note that hosts don’t need to check a guest’s ID if it’s a Turo Go trip — Turo will verify the ID for you)

1. A close-up of their driver's license

   • Verify the important details — the date of birth, expiration date, and that the name on the license matches the name on the trip.

   • If the guest has a foreign or temporary license, use the temporary license information to verify the guest’s driving eligibility and identity. 

2. A photo of themselves holding their license next to their face

   • Verify that the photo matches the person presenting it.

   • Cross-check the date of birth on the license with the date of birth listed in the Turo app to help verify their identity.

Note that Turo is actively working on building an automated, in-app ID verification tool, so later this year, hosts will no longer need to verify their guests themselves for most trips. Stay tuned for updates!

Trip photo checklist

Interior photos

• Dashboard showing the fuel and mileage level
• Front and back seats, showing how clean they are and/or any issues with the inside of the car (stains, markings, etc.)

• Front of car showing the condition and any existing issues (dings, dents, cracks, etc.)
• Sides of the car showing the condition and any existing issues
• Back of car showing the condition and any existing issues
• Underneath the front and rear bumpers and sides, showing the condition and any existing issues
• A close-up photo of any part of the vehicle that may have a pre-existing issue

Exterior photos

Let them know where to leave the car, being mindful of street sweeping or other parking restrictions in your area. 

Tell them where to leave the key, how to lock up, and remind them to take and upload their own post-trip photos.

A step-by-step guide

Once the trip is over, follow these simple steps to wrap things up.

Step 1: Message your guest

Step 2: Take post-trip photos

Be sure to swing by your car within 24 hours of the trip’s end to document the car’s condition and see if there’s any new damage. It’s critical to note any new damage and file a claim accordingly within 24 hours for the claim to be eligible for reimbursement as part of your protection plan.

For offering contactless check-in & checkout

Market your contactless check-in options

If you offer contactless check-in, mention it in your listing description! Showcase this desirable and very timely option to your prospective guests in your listing description to stand out.

Be precise about parking

If you’re not using Turo Go, then be sure to tell your guest where to find and access your car — whether in your driveway, in a parking garage, or on the street, provide instruction on exactly where to find the car once you’ve verified their identity.

Clean well, disinfect often

While physical distancing is the new normal, so is the expectation for thorough cleaning and disinfection on any sort of shared asset. 

As of June 1, 2020, all Turo hosts are required to clean and disinfect their cars between trips — review the enhanced cleaning and disinfection guide for the step-by-step process, or leave it to the pros with these preferred cleaning partners.

Practice physical distancing if you need to meet in person

If you need to meet your guest in person, practice physical distancing and take all routine precautionary measures — cover your face with a mask, wear disposable gloves, don’t touch each other, and maintain six feet between you whenever possible.