EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Car rental sharing platform HiyaCar, which launched in February 2016 and has 16,000 members across the UK, sees 70 per cent of website traffic coming from mobile, with users clamouring for an app.
The app is set to be out this month. According to Graeme Risby, CEO and co-founder, the firm worked on it for two months and “it is something we wanted to get right”.
Risby said the firm focussed heavily on its keyless technology because it found drivers often wanted to rent vehicles on the same day and owners were not around for the key hand over.
This keyless technology will be “baked into” the app. Users will be able to see cars available on their street and get into one and drive off “within ten seconds”.
The CEO believes the user experience of the app will be better than the website.
When asked about his thoughts on opponents of the sharing economy who believe it disrupts traditional jobs, Risby said it does not hold true for firms like HiyaCar and Airbnb, which are part of the “true sharing economy” through which users can make some extra money.
He pointed out the companies are different from so-called ‘gig economy’ players like Uber, which can become the main source of income for some.
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