Toyota Yuko hybrid car sharing scheme launched

The Toyota Yuko programme -  Toyota's entry into the car sharing arena - is the first to offer hybrid-only models in Dublin, Ireland and Forli, Italy.

Yuko, which is Japanese for ‘let’s go’, is starting off small with 15 Toyota Yaris, Auris and Toyota Prius models on offer in Dublin, Ireland at three locations around the city. Seven cars will be available in the Italian city of Forli, and the C-HR Hybrid will join the line-up soon.

Both cities were chosen for their traffic levels and infrastructure as a test bed for Yuko, but Toyota plans to extend the scheme across most European cities in the near future.

Every car is available to Yuko members, who pay a €50 joining fee and monthly subscription of €6. On top of that is an hourly rental fee that varies depending on model - or you can save money by booking for a whole day. A Yaris Hybrid costs from €8 per hour or €60 for a day and both charges include 50km worth of fuel.

While Toyota is the only car manufacturer to offer a hybrid-only car share scheme, other companies already have similar programmes in place such as BMW and Peugeot. Nissan is also planning its Get&Go system where drivers will part own a new Micra and share it with others to spread the running costs.

There are also several independent car share clubs operating in most large cities. They include Zipcar and the Enterprise Car Club.

Alisdair Suttie