Cashing In: Drivers renting out their own vehicles amid rental car shortage

ORLANDO, Fla. - Travelers either can't find rental cars or they cost too much as the country faces a rental car shortage and many are turning to alternatives.

Robert Gordon, with MCO Car Sharing, uses the Turo app to rent out his own fleet of cars. The car-sharing app, Turo, allows people to share their cars with travelers for a certain period, like Airbnb.

"There are people stranded at the airport, they couldn’t get an Uber, they couldn’t get a rental car," said Gordon who has now made Turo his full-time job. "When COVID hit it killed the consulting business and forced us into Turo as a full-time thing so we kept buying fleet."

People in the business say if you have a car and are willing to share it with others, now is the time to cash in as more tourists make their way to Florida this summer.

RELATED: Looking for a rental car? Travel experts offer tips amid skyrocketing prices, low supply

Astrid Guerrero also has a newfound profession renting out cars. At first, she was renting one of her two cars, just to help pay it off, but after seeing the profit she was making she now owns and rents 13 cars.

"Crazy, it’s been crazy. Because I never expected to be booked all the time like I am," said Turo Host Astrid Guerrero.

She says lately she's been getting a lot of last-minute bookings with people flying into Orlando.

"When they get here and they don’t find cars they start looking for some other ways to get transportation," said Guerrero.

Turo is the only car-sharing app available in the Orlando area, but if you're traveling to other places, there's also Getaround and Avail, which is backed by Allstate Insurance.

Watch FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.