Bolt is pushing into UK car sharing through a new partnership with Hiyacar, aiming to capture customers left without a service following Zipcar’s departure from London.
From autumn, Londoners will be able to book Hiyacar vehicles directly through the Bolt app without paying a membership fee, marking the first UK launch of Bolt Drive.
The move adds a car-sharing option to Bolt’s existing portfolio of ride-hailing, e-bike, and scooter services already available to users across the capital.
Hiyacar, founded in 2016, is the UK’s only homegrown peer-to-peer car-sharing platform and currently has more than 265,000 registered users.
Users will be able to rent vehicles owned by private individuals through the Bolt app, with Hiyacar continuing to manage the peer-to-peer network behind the service.
Bolt said the partnership gives Hiyacar access to its customer base, which the company said already includes more than half of London’s residents.
“Most Londoners do not own a car, and many of them relied on Zipcar for the occasions when they needed one,” said Diego Ramirez-Gölz, regional general manager for Bolt Drive.
“Hiyacar gives us a peer-to-peer network to work with, and Bolt gives Hiyacar reach,” Ramirez-Gölz added, setting out the commercial logic underpinning the arrangement.
Don Iro, chief executive of Hiyacar, said visibility within the Bolt app would connect idle vehicles with customers who need them in real time.
“London has plenty of cars sitting idle. The problem is access,” said Iro. “Being in the Bolt app means our vehicles are visible to people at the moment they actually need one, not just to people who already knew Hiyacar existed.”
Research commissioned by Bolt found more than 75 per cent of Inner London residents do not own a car, while more than 70 per cent of its UK customers are also non-car owners.
The launch reflects shifting travel habits in the capital, where residents increasingly lack personal vehicles but still require occasional access for longer journeys or tasks such as moving house.
Bolt launched in the UK in 2019 and now operates across 20 cities, offering ride-hailing alongside micromobility services including e-bikes and scooters.
The Hiyacar deal marks the first time Bolt has introduced its Bolt Drive product in the UK, following similar integrations with local mobility providers elsewhere in Europe.