RelayRides has raised $44 million to change the way people rent cars

RelayRides, the San Francisco-based car sharing service that’s going after the rental car industry, announced a $25 million funding round on Tuesday. The funding, a series B round, brings the company’s total fundraising to $44 million. Canaan Partners led the round which also included existing investors like Shasta Ventures, GoogleVentures, August Capital. RelayRides started as a service for people to rent their idle cars by the hour to those in need of wheels. The company has since shifted its focus to long-term rentals, a more lucrative business than the hourly rentals it was advertising before. Included in their rental offerings are airport rentals akin to more established players like Avis, Hertz, and Dollar.