Toyota’s Ride-Sharing Plan Will Make Hawaii Even More of a Paradise
New service, Hui, makes seeing Honolulu easier than ever before.
There’s no place quite like Hawaii. So it seems fitting that Toyota is launching a new, groundbreaking ride-sharing service in the 50th state. Called Hui, the service already has 25 in Honolulu. Designed to appeal to locals and tourists alike, the program could make getting around in paradise easier than ever before.
This is a joint project between Toyota Connected North America, Servco Pacific (Toyota’s Hawaiian distributor), and Toyota’s Mobility Service Platform. Hui is a proprietary app that is available for both iOS and Android devices. A full 70 vehicles are available for customers to use. These run from the eco-friendly (Prius, Prius Prime), the comfortable (Camry XSE), and the outright luxurious (Lexus RX 350 and RX F Sport).
The cars are available hourly or for the day. So how does it all work? According to Toyota:
The app supports a range of fleet management tools, as well as driver identification, authentication and payment management. In addition, Hui vehicles are equipped with Toyota’s Smart Key Box, which generates a digital key that allows users to lock and unlock, as well as start vehicles via their smartphone.
The program is run by both Toyota and Servco. The automaker sees it as a potential precursor to even bigger things. Using this technology, it could eventually lead to other car-sharing, ride-sharing, and even remote delivery programs. It could also serve as a template for programs in other local markets.
“We’re really excited about Hui because it’s a game changing way to offer car sharing, says Zack Hicks, chief executive officer and president of TCNA, and chief digital officer of Toyota Motor North America. ““The program is simple to use and more convenient than a traditional car rental service – plus typical add-ons like gas and insurance are included in the reservation cost.” Furthermore, he adds: “thanks to Servco’s strong relationships with consumers and extensive knowledge of this market, Hui will be the most accessible car share service in Honolulu by far.’
So Toyota has brought its reliability and know-how to car-sharing. To us, we can’t really see a downside. We just hope that Toyota can create similar programs for the rest of us Americans who don’t live in paradise.
