Car rental company to stop running in Seattle, other cities

Seattle is among the U.S. cities that will soon have one less option for car rentals due to the pending withdrawal of Share Now, officials said.

Share Now plans to close its North American operations after Feb. 29, The Seattle Times reports.

Share Now offers short-term rentals of Mercedes-Benz cars, BMWs, Mini Coopers, and Smart cars.

The German company said it had 148,309 customers in Seattle.

Existing customers will be able to use the service until late February but new customers will not be permitted to enrol past Dec. 18, the company said.

The move will affect operations in New York, Washington, D.C., Montreal, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Share Now declined to disclose the number of employees affected by the decision.

The company cited rising operating costs among the reasons for the North American closures.

Share Now will also cease operations in Florence, London, and Brussels but continue to operate in 18 other European cities, the company said.