Mini is launching its car-sharing service in South Africa, and the platform will go live in May 2021.
Called Mini Sharing, the service will initially be available to residents of BlackBrick – a “vertical village” in Sandton located on Fredman Drive.
The car on offer will be the electric Mini Cooper SE.
“The Mini Sharing service is available exclusively to residents of BlackBrick, and members of the BlackBrick Club. This collaboration follows the successful market introduction in September 2020 of the all-electric Mini Cooper SE in South Africa,” said the company.
It added that the service will be available to both Mini and non-Mini drivers.
How it will work
Mini Sharing in South Africa will be “different to the model seen in other countries”, and as a result a dedicated Mini Sharing app has been developed for local use.
Users can register on the app – available on iOS and Android devices – by submitting their details, verifying their driving licence, and providing their credit card details.
“Once the details have been verified, drivers will be able to reserve a timeslot using the app’s built-in calendar function.”
The smartphone on which the app is installed then acts as the car key – with a Bluetooth connection between the smartphone and the Mini Cooper SE allowing users to open the doors and start the vehicle.
“This has the added benefit of making interaction possible between the car and smartphone without an Internet connection,” said Mini.
After a user has finished using the Mini Cooper SE, the car must be returned to a specified parking area and locked via the smartphone to complete the journey.
“The Mini Sharing app will generate a report with the travel data required for billing. Where necessary, the fee will be calculated based on a combination of mileage and time, and all prices are inclusive of insurance, electricity, toll fees, and other associated costs.”
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