PHILADELPHIA -

Getaround, the carsharing platform company that helps consumers rent nearby cars from drivers in their city, has added the Greater Philadelphia area to its roster of markets.

This footprint expansion follows the carshare platform provider's April announcement that it secured over $40 million dollars in funding and grew its California presence to include both Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Along with consumers in 10 other markets, Philadelphians can now gain access to vehicles in their city that they can book by the hour or day on the Getaround carsharing platform, the company announced Thursday.

The company said that while other rental car options overwhelm U.S. roads with additional fleets of vehicles, Getaround connects consumers with vehicles that are already being driven.

“It’s been our mission to drive change that has global impact, yet also positively affects local communities,” Getaround chief executive officer and founder Sam Zaid said in a news release. “Our platform helps alleviate traffic congestion, while providing a long-term flexible model for car ownership and giving earning power to owners.”

Getaround said that vehicles of U.S. car owners, on average, sit idly for 23 hours every day. “According to a study by the University of California Transportation Sustainability Research Center, every shared car takes about 10 personal vehicles out of gridlock, alleviating congestion and reducing carbon emissions,” the company said in the news release.

Meanwhile, not only does its platform give drivers access to a diverse selection of vehicles, but the company said it can also provide car owners a convenient way to bring in extra money to offset their vehicle’s cost.

When renting a vehicle from Getaround users, there is no need to arrange key pickups or vehicle drop-off, because cars made available on the platform are each fitted with Getaround Connect patented technology that gives customers the ability to remotely locate and unlock cars via the Getaround app for smartphones.

“We’re thrilled to add instant carsharing to Philadelphia as we expand further into the Northeast, and are ready to empower Philadelphia car owners to start sharing now,” said Nick Tenekedes, Getaround’s interim general manager for Philadelphia, who led the company’s expansion into Chicago. “Getaround has established solid relationships with local automotive partners, who began equipping cars with Connect hardware on July 25th in the regions of North Philly, Center City and South Philly.”

Furthermore, along with providing drivers with real-time GPS tracking and 24/7 customer support, the company said there is a $1 million insurance policy to cover each booking and a full security screen of every renter.

In addition to Philidelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, Getaround is currently available in Oakland Calif., Berkeley, New Jersey, Boston, Portland Seattle and Washington D.C., according to the company website.