After the "new lease of life" that lifted the short-term rental market in France in 2014, the stagnation recorded in 2015 could easily look like a loss of momentum. Not so. The market has simply "reached a plateau", as André Gallin, Chairman of what is now known as "Shared Mobility Professions", likes to stress. The number of lessees (7.5 million) is effectively unchanged on 2014, while the rate of use of leasing is down very slightly (14%, compared with 15% in 2014), according to figures provided by GMV Conseil. The same applies to very short-term rental (17% vs 18%), while growth in car-sharing is slowing (9% vs 8%).
Business customers did not help to boost the 2015 results, falling for the second year running to below 30% (28%). "Historically, car hire in France was born out of a business market," points out André Gallin, adding: "Even fifteen years ago, the business segment accounted for 70% of demand, compared with 30% for leisure customers".
A phenomenon that does not seem to worry the leaders of these "Shared Mobility Professions" too much, as they are busy working on other "hotter" issues. Starting with the rise in private hire, which, according to GMV, reached 3% in 2015, compared with 1% a year earlier. According to GMV's survey of 35,000 renters, the success of the collaborative economy can be explained by the proximity of the offer, its user-friendliness and, last but not least, its price. The economic criterion would not necessarily be the Achilles heel of traditional rental companies in the face of these new players. Nevertheless, this is where the discussions between the traditional players and the newcomers are currently taking place, with the main point of contention being the threshold at which taxation is triggered. The traditional hirers are arguing in favour of a figure of €5,000 for all collaborative activities combined.
