Servco Pacific Inc. (Servco), Hawaii’s exclusive Toyota distributor, and Toyota Connected, Toyota’s global technology strategy business, have partnered to test a new car share business and technology platform in Honolulu. The car share program is the first major business set to launch under Toyota’s global Mobility Services Platform (MSPF). When complete, the service will provide Toyota dealers and distributors with the capability to launch car-sharing programs in local markets.
“Servco and Toyota have a long and close history going back to the 50’s,” said Mark Fukunaga, chairman & CEO of Servco. “We helped test products as far back as the late 50’s Toyopet Corona prototypes and, with innovation as one of our core values, we jumped at the opportunity to pilot this new mobility platform as an operational partner with Toyota.”
Servco is currently testing the platform through an employee-only pilot in Mapunapuna. Once the employee pilot testing is complete in late 2017, Servco will launch a new Honolulu-based car share business in Kakaako with about 20 Prius vehicles located around residential buildings. The program will be round trip station-based meaning users will rent and return the vehicle at the same location. Other Toyota and Lexus vehicles, such as the Corolla, C-HR, Tacoma, and RX, are expected to be added later. A brand announcement is planned closer to the public launch.
The car-sharing platform, developed by Toyota Connected, supports fleet management, driver identification and authentication, payment management, and the ability for users to lock and unlock vehicles without physical keys. Car share users will never have to interact with a person to register, reserve and use a vehicle. Registration and background checks are handled via the mobile application. A Bluetooth connection to the vehicle will also allow users to start the vehicles via a digital key on the mobile application.
“This car sharing technology platform is designed to help consumers, distributors and dealers all benefit from locally-tailored mobility services built on a seamless and secure Toyota experience,” said Zack Hicks, chief executive officer of Toyota Connected and chief information officer at Toyota Motor North America. “This new platform demonstrates the power of combining Toyota’s unrivaled global manufacturing and technology capacity with its extensive local partners to provide consumers with more convenient options to move.”
The car share platform is the first major initiative deployed through Toyota’s global MSPF, which seeks to leverage the power of connected vehicle systems to support new mobility businesses.