Toyota Yaris joins new hiyacar sharing fleet in Bristol

Toyota is providing a fleet of 25 Yaris Hybrids to hiyacar as part of the launch of its new car sharing initiative in Bristol.

The car maker has expended its existing partnership with the peer-to-peer car rental business, which already operates Toyota vehicles in London.

Graeme Risby, CEO and co-founder of hiyacar, said: ‘‘By launching in Bristol, our goal is to connect drivers to a car, when and where they want it, in a sustainable way.  For every car shared, 11 can be taken off the road and with Bristol’s drive for sustainability through community change, we’re hugely excited to see how we can work with the city, particularly with the support of our key partner, Toyota.”

Since its launch as a car sharing scheme in 2016, hiyacar has grown to attract more than 100,000 members who can make use of vehicles in London and Brighton. It has chosen Bristol as the next centre for its service thanks to the city’s focus on sustainability and a growing demand for car-sharing as the UK eases out of its Covid-19 restrictions.

The Bristol scheme is being launched with the fleet of Toyota Yaris Hybrids. The powertrain enables the cars to run in slow-moving city traffic for short distances on electric power alone, with no emissions or fuel consumption.

In the interests of safety and hygiene, hiyacar has appointed a professional supplier to ensure all the cars are thoroughly sanitised after each booking.

Paula Cooper, director ConsumerOne at Toyota (GB) said, “We have enjoyed a successful partnership with hiyacar, supporting with their London operation for just over a year. The expansion of the service into Bristol will build awareness of the benefits of using Toyota’s self-charging hybrid technology in city centres and help us as a business gain valuable insights into consumer responses and preferences around the concept of car sharing. This reflects how we are transitioning from our traditional role as a car maker to become a provider and enabler of all kinds of mobility.”