New ideas often take a while to get support unless they appear during a time of need when Fleet Managers have a problem to solve. In 2022, car share companies have found themselves in the sweet spot of increasing demand and delayed supply.
Facilities management company BGIS has found a solution to their mobility needs by working with KINTO, Toyota’s a car share product, to scale up their fleet to meet the demands of new projects and extra employees joining the business.
Jacquelyn Ezzy, Fleet and Asset Manager at BGIS, needed a way to get new starters into vehicles within two weeks.
“I don’t always get a lot of notice from our internal business partners when a new employee starts, and without a vehicle on their first day they aren’t very productive,” explains Ezzy. “I initially tried the rental companies and our fleet management company, but it wasn’t very easy or seamless. I was always chasing people to find a car.”
“The business had a relationship with Toyota because of 40 cars that were ordered for a new contract and they introduced me to KINTO. It has been so easy dealing with them. There’s one account manager and accessing the cars is easy. Our drivers pick them up from a dealership, or they can be delivered.”
“It was easy to get started with KINTO and swapping drivers between cars easy with the online system. I feel like I have more control over the process and can respond to the needs of our business which give my customers great service.”
So why do KINTO have cars when everyone else is waiting 10 months for deliveries?
Mark Ramsay, General Manager at KINTO, explained that the business plan was put in place long before the pandemic with expectations of growth year on year.
“We identified trends towards car subscription several years ago which is part of Toyota’s long term plan to be a partner in mobility,” said Ramsay.
“We placed the orders for vehicles based on our rollout plans before the current supply chain issues caused the delays we are seeing in new vehicle deliveries. This has worked in our favour and I’m really encouraged to see the demand for all the vehicles in the range.”
The most popular vehicles have been the RAV4 Hybrid and Hiace. And KINTO has a growing base of private and fleet customers. These early customers are receiving new vehicles which is an added bonus compared to traditional rental cars and the they are mid-level specification with push button start technology which allows digital vehicle access as one of KINTO’s unique benefits.
“KINTO is a digital experience for customers and everything can be managed via the app,” explains Ramsay. “It provides more control and flexibility for drivers and Fleet Managers. Being able to lock and unlock vehicles with the app delivers so many extra benefits to the customer journey.”
Car sharing is poised to solve the mobility challenges of Fleet Managers regardless of the economic conditions over the next few years. A strong economy will create short/medium term demand for cars as organisations expand quickly. An uncertain future reduces the desire to enter long term lease arrangements which is perfect for average car share term of six months.
Despite the likelihood of conditions that will support the growth of car sharing for several more years, Ramsay is reluctant to pick a tipping point despite a growing global trend towards mobility and a one-to-many relationship with cars.
