Overcoming Your Fear of Sharing: What You Need To Know About Trust and Safety

Sharing could be very fulfilling and even contagious but taking the first step might be hard.  Learning about the many trust and safety options can make it easier to overcome your anxieties.

From very early in life, we develop a sense of ownership and the urge to safely possess our stuff. Many of us have probably seen a toddler holding on to a toy screaming “Mine!” refusing to share it. But we all eventually learn that nothing too bad can happen as a result of sharing. Just the opposite – we inspire people to share back and we feel good about it. We all eventually learn to trust.

When it comes to the travel sharing economy, we might be experiencing something similar. Many people, otherwise fascinated with the idea, can’t get past the “what if” anxieties.

And that’s understandable. There are legitimate safety and security concerns when we share homes, cars or meals with people we have never met before. Who is my host or driver, and am I safe staying, eating, riding or just hanging out with them? Who are my guests or riders, is my property safe or am I liable if something happens to them?

To the surprise of many, however, incidents in the travel sharing economy are rare so far. This economy operates as a community market place where both guests and hosts create profiles, review and rate each other. So, reputation capital keeps everyone in check, weeds out potential misbehavior and inspires trustworthiness and friendship.

But, you might say, the incentive of maintaining good ratings can’t rule out the possibility of an incident a hundred percent.  And you are right. Back in 2011, for example, an apartment on Airbnb in San Francisco was vandalized. The company reacted promptly and provided financial and emotional recovery support to the host. It was a hard hit but they turned the situation around and made it into a learning experience.

Since then, the travel sharing economy platforms have evolved to offer solid trust and safety programs for both hosts and guests. Here are some examples gathered from the Web:

ID Verification and Pre-approvals

Ridesharing companies like Lyft and Sidecar complete background checks (driving and criminal) of all drivers who sign up on their platforms. They also require vehicle inspection verification.

Car renting platforms like RelayRides and Getaround prescreen renters, their driving records and licenses.

EatWith certifies and verifies those who want to sign up as hosting chefs through their site. Vayable screens its local guides, or “insiders,” via interviews and professional references.

Airbnb provides a service by which guests and hosts verify their IDs themselves through social networks or by scanning their official ID cards.

Performance Reviews and Ratings

The companies do not hire the hosts, drivers, chefs or guides, so they can’t fire them as they could an underperforming employee.  They can, however, control who participates in their marketplace. Uber, for example, kicks out of its system any driver who consistently gets ratings under a certain threshold.

Insurance for Hosts and Drivers

Several companies are offering free insurance packages for their hosts/drivers.  According to their websites, insurance guarantee is up to $1,000, 000 per stay/ride and covers a range of options.

At Airbnb, the guarantee covers damaged property but does not include host liability as of yet in case something happens to the traveler. The guarantee at Sidecar, Lyft, EatWith includes both property damage and liability. Getaround, RelayRides, Flightcar cover damage and liability during the time your car is rented out.

As the need for insurance in peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions grows, it is only a matter of time for insurance companies to tap into its potential and offer even more packages for hosts and travelers. Lyft has just announced the formation of  a new P2P Rideshare Insurance Coalition where rideshare companies, insurance representatives and regulators will develop even better insurance options.

(Update: Uber and Lyft have expanded insurance to cover the time between rides as well.)

Customer Support 24/7

Companies realized that simply providing an online platform for people to connect with each other is not enough when it comes to fostering safety and trust. Many have added live 24/7 customer support to be able to address any problems immediately.

Addressing safety and liability will continue to be a priority for travel sharing platforms because, if not addressed, it has the potential to nix their growth. Those who excel in trust and safety features will gain a considerable competitive advantage. The companies are well aware of it, so they take our “fear of sharing” seriously and continue to evolve their trust and safety programs.

Airbnb even formed a Trust Advisory Board recently to provide recommendations and ongoing guidance to their program.

And we? We have to keep educating ourselves on the many safety options offered to us, be it as hosts or travelers, follow common sense and make smart choices. The community has already come a long way – we can now not only trust but also verify.

So, the next time you come across somebody still hesitant to try a travel sharing experience, share with them what you already know – it might help them.