Peer-to-peer car-sharing cuts council’s travel costs

A new peer-to-peer car sharing scheme is helping one council slash the cost of workers’ transport.
July 14, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

A new peer-to-peer car sharing scheme is helping one council slash the cost of workers’ transport.

Peer-to-peer car sharing company HiyaCar’s QuickStart service uses an encrypted ‘virtual key’ sent to the driver’s mobile phone, allowing them to unlock, start and lock the vehicle they have hired. Vehicle owners fits a device to the diagnostic port in their car which enables it to be unlocked and started when activated by the ‘virtual key’ transmitted from the driver’s mobile phone via Bluetooth.

As the hire finishes, the driver uploads live footage of the vehicle as evidence of its condition, the ‘virtual key’ expires and the vehicle owner receives around 70% of the hire charge. According to HiyaCar, as the owner need not be present for the hand-over, QuickStart enables no-notice, short duration rental and a cost is typically lower than traditional car rental.

The council replaced a pool of four permanent hired vehicles with three cars owned by full-time office-based employees who were enrolled into a ring-fenced version of QuickStart that enables other council employees to use those cars during the day.  The council only pays when the car(s) are being used and previously occupied parking spaces are available for visitors.

HiyaCar checks the vehicle’s, owner’s and driver’s credentials and bespoke insurance covers the cost of any damage or breakdowns. While currently only active in London, the company plans to expand into other cities. 

Related Content

  • Automating enforcement of environmental zones
    July 27, 2012
    Amsterdam City Council has chosen to move away from manual enforcement of its environmental zone, which is intended to keep highly polluting goods vehicles out of the city centre, and is installing an automated, ANPR-based system. The signs are not much to look at: white with a red circle and the all-important word Milieuzone ('Environmental zone'). But these signs mean that Amsterdam's city centre is strictly off-limits to polluting goods traffic. At the moment compliance is monitored by special wardens wh
    Read More
  • ASECAP examines tolling during downturns
    September 22, 2014
    ASECAP debated the impact of the financial crises on Europe’s tolling companies and considered the future in diverse economies. Colin Sowman picks some of the highlights. This year ASECAP (Association Europeenne des Concessionnaires d’Autoroutes et d’Ouvrages a’ Peage, with members in 21 countries managing 46,000km of roadway) held its annual Study & Information Days in Athens, Greece – one of the country hardest hit by recent economic problems. While the theme of the conference, Ensuring Sustainability in
    Read More
  • Tolling: it’s time to open up
    May 24, 2023
    Europe sees more and more tolling schemes being implemented based on GNSS technology and an ‘open marketplace’ model. What are the drivers behind this trend and do those schemes show how toll systems will look in the future? Peter Ummenhofer of Go Consulting goes out on the road
    Read More
  • Bus lane enforcement reduces costs, journey times
    May 4, 2012
    The Southcote Lane site in the UK town of Reading is a notorious shortcut for motorists travelling into the town centre. The resultant congestion at the end of the bus lane, when motorists tried to re-enter the main traffic flow, caused congestion and disruption to bus timetables. Reading Borough Council wanted a cost-efficient, effective solution to accurately capture bus lane violations and improve bus travel times. Reading became the first local authority in the UK to deploy Siemens's LaneHawk fully auto
    Read More

Highlighted Content