Bolt is preparing to expand its UK transport offering by adding car sharing to its London app, following a new partnership with peer-to-peer rental platform Hiyacar.
The service is expected to launch in the autumn of 2026 and will allow users to book Hiyacar vehicles directly through the Bolt app. There will be no membership fee, making the arrangement particularly relevant to people looking for an occasional alternative to owning a car.
It will also mark the first UK launch of Bolt Drive, the company’s car-sharing operation, which has already been introduced in other European markets through partnerships with local mobility providers.
Filling the Gap Left by Zipcar
The timing of the launch is significant because Zipcar is withdrawing from London, leaving fewer options for residents who need access to a vehicle without taking on the cost of buying, insuring and maintaining one.
Car-sharing schemes have traditionally appealed to people living in urban areas who mainly use public transport but occasionally need a car for a larger shopping trip, visiting family or travelling somewhere that is difficult to reach by train or bus.
Bolt is clearly hoping to attract some of those former Zipcar customers. The company already offers ride-hailing, e-bikes and scooters in the capital, and the addition of bookable cars will give users another transport option within the same app.
According to Bolt, its existing customer base includes more than half of London’s residents. The company also says that more than 70 per cent of its UK customers do not own a car, suggesting there is a potentially large audience for a flexible rental service.
How the Service Will Work
The cars available through Bolt will come from Hiyacar’s existing peer-to-peer network. Rather than operating a traditional fleet owned by one company, Hiyacar allows private vehicle owners to rent out their cars when they are not using them.
Hiyacar will continue to manage the network and the practical side of the service, while Bolt will provide an additional booking channel through its app.
The partnership could make Hiyacar’s cars more visible to people who have never previously considered using the platform. Hiyacar chief executive Don Iro said London already has a large number of cars that spend much of their time unused, with the main difficulty being connecting those vehicles with people who need temporary access to one.
By appearing inside the Bolt app, Hiyacar vehicles will be presented to customers alongside other forms of transport at the point when they are deciding how to make a journey.
A Growing Market for Occasional Car Access
Research commissioned by Hiyacar found that more than 75 per cent of Inner London residents do not own a car. That creates a natural market for services that offer access by the hour or day without the long-term financial commitment of ownership.
Hiyacar was founded in 2016 and describes itself as the UK’s only homegrown peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. It currently has more than 265,000 registered users.
Bolt, meanwhile, entered the UK in 2019 and has since expanded into 20 cities. Although best known for ride-hailing, it has increasingly positioned itself as a broader transport app rather than simply an alternative to traditional taxis.
The success of the partnership will depend on vehicle availability, pricing and how straightforward the booking process proves to be. However, the departure of Zipcar has created an obvious opening in London’s car-sharing market.
For people who do not need a car every day, the ability to find and book one through an app they may already use could make occasional car access considerably easier.