Bidvest Car Rental has launched Snappdrive, a mobile app which replaces keys for rental cars in South Africa.
The app will allow users to locate their car, via their phone’s GPS, as well as unlock and start their vehicle without a physical key.
Once customers are at their vehicle, they press the Unlock button in the app. To start the car’s engine, they press the Start button.
Users will also receive an SMS prior to when the car is due back – which provides an opportunity for the customer to extend their rental period should they wish to.
“It really is as simple as Arrive, Unlock, and Drive,” said Gaynor Von Loggenburg, Bidvest Car Rental executive for sales and marketing.
With telematics, Bidvest will also be able to track vehicles, which means real-time fleet management for Bidvest and their customers.
“We will be able to collect real-time data on speed, mileage, and fuel usage,” said Bidvest.
The Snappdrive app is available in Apple’s App store and the Google Play store.
The Snappdrive app will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase will be available to Bidvest’s Car Rental Corporate customers and deployed in a separate vehicle group at OR Tambo, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and King Shaka airports.
Phase two will be introduced to premium vehicle groups and other markets, with value-add functionality for Bidvest customers. The date for phase two is yet to be announced.
