Skip to main content

Toyota picks Hawaii for its first app-controlled ridesharing effort

Toyota

Toyota is getting into the ridesharing game.

Recommended Videos

The automaker is launching its first service in Honolulu, Hawaii. Called Hui, it will offer customers 50 vehicles at 25 stations spread throughout the city.

It’s operated by Servco — Toyota’s distributor in Hawaii — and works with an app (iOS and Android) that reserves the vehicles and manages accounts.

You can choose from a decent range of cars, too, among them the Toyota Prius, Prius Prime, and Camry XSE, as well as the Lexus RX 350 and RX F Sport. The rental vehicles are parked in marked, reserved stalls for easy pick-up and drop-off, the company said in a message posted on Tuesday. Vehicles need to be returned to the same spot where they were picked up.

Hui vehicles utilize Toyota’s Smart Key Box, which generates a digital key that lets the driver lock and unlock the car via their smartphone, as well as start it up. Rates start at $10 an hour or $80 per day, and top out at $20/$160, depending on the vehicle. Prices include insurance, maintenance, and gas. A provided universal gas card can be used to top up the tank, and drivers are asked to return the car with at least a quarter-full tank so the next driver doesn’t have to waste time searching for a gas station the moment they begin their rental.

Toyota says it’s also considering offering a pay-as-you-go membership plan with higher per-hour and daily rates instead of monthly fees.

Local competition offering similar systems to Hui includes the likes of Zipcar and Enterprise.

Sharing different modes of transportation, whether bicycles, scooters, or cars, is becoming big business across the U.S. and beyond. And now Toyota wants a piece of the pie.

Zack Hicks, CEO and president of Toyota North America, described Hui as “a game-changing way to offer car sharing.”

Hicks added: “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.”

Servco CEO Mark Fukunaga said Hui provides “a new option for Honolulu residents and visitors looking for vehicle access while complementing other existing mobility services such as bike share, ride share, and public transportation, and we are excited for consumers to utilize the technology.”

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more
Apple CarPlay Ultra looks stunning in Aston Martin supercar debut
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of the Cupertino, California-based firm's smartphone projection system for your car, and it's available in new vehicles in the US and Canada.

When we say "new cars", your options are very much limited to one brand... Aston Martin. So you'll need deep pockets if you want to experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself.

Read more
Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics
archer air taxi la28 inglewood aerial a final

Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

Read more