Big Car

Even though I was flying out very early on a Sunday morning, I got to the airport with a solid hour and change before my flight. You never know when the traffic enroute will be an issue, or the security line will be long, or the gate will be a 20-minute walk from the start of the terminal. And while I hate to kill time sipping overpriced coffee, I'd rather do that than go screaming down the concourse slaloming in and out of people as if I'm Lindsey Vonn.

That said, IF you travel, and IF you aren't too worried about privacy, and IF you have a smartphone, and IF you take the time to check all the options offered in your travel related apps, getting from here to there has become more and more frictionless. You can have a car pick you up (there's a log of where you were and where you are going), you can get through security in a flash (they have a scan of your face, not to mention all your key ID numbers), and in some places get onto the jetway the same way. That all seemed to fall into place on this trip, save for a last moment of hesitation at the touchless TSA Checkpoint. As I walked up to it and the computer scanned my face, I saw the agent looking puzzled. He called me over to see the picture just taken as compared to the one they had on file. I understood his confusion: I looked like I had aged 20 years between them, but he gave me the benefit of the doubt and let me pass.

The hands-off approach continued at the other end. I met a driver who was waiting for me when I landed (again, they tracked my location step by step as I walked through the terminal), and my hotel enabled a digital key so I could skip the front desk and go straight to my room (they certainly knew exactly where I was). The next day I realized that it would be easier have a rental car as opposed to depend on a service. No problem: my account enabled me to pick out a vehicle in advance and go right to it. However, signing into the app I was asked to update my account with a new credit card. I input the info, assuming that was all that was required to get the "skip the line" treatment to which I had become accustomed. 

Not so fast. Before it was willing to grant me preferred status it presented a new box to click. The header was "Connected Cars." I assumed that it was a reference to me "connecting" my phone to the car's infotainment system, which enabled me to use my maps and listen to my music. That's fine, but best practice is to delete that connection and any data when you return the vehicle. I figured this was a disclaimer covering the company from blame and damages in case I didn't do that housekeeping, and someone subsequently stole my info. 

Nope, it was the other way around. It was asking me to agree to let them "connect" to the car I was driving. That would enable them to do things like remotely unlock the doors should I lock the keys inside, and respond to sensors that might indicate I was in an accident. That's all good. But it also gave them permission to monitor my speed, my braking and other driving habits, as well as any cameras or audio. "Vehicle and personal data are collected, used, retained & disclosed," it said, for business purposes. Big Car could watch my every move. That's not so good.

While I had no intention of mistreating the vehicle, plotting a criminal enterprise while driving or using it to overthrow the government, I didn't see a good reason to grant them the OK to sit on my shoulder for the subsequent 3 days and several hundred miles. Yes, I have Google and Apple and Amazon products, all of which are monitoring me in various ways, so call me a hypocrite. But this just seemed like a drive too far. I bypassed that option, which put me back in the general population. And so you'll find me standing in line at the rental counter like a non-connected human.

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Marc Wollin of Bedford rents very basic vehicles His column appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.