Skoda launches university car-sharing platform

Skoda is trialing a new car-sharing scheme aimed at students who don’t want to commit to car ownership while they study.

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The scheme is currently in operation at three campuses in Prague, but the firm says that with 2.3 million people currently enrolled at universities in the United Kingdom, it could see great demand in these shores in the future.

Called Uniqway, it utilises a fleet of Skoda Fabia hatchbacks, which were chosen because of their low running costs and their compact size that makes them ideal for city use.

Students can sign up for the service for free using the student IDs and then use a phone app to locate a car and pay for it. It costs £1.03 per hour and an additional 17p per kilometer, with costs reducing over longer distances and time periods.

Uniqway was built in collaboration between university students and Skoda’s innovational lab, which oversaw the project and helped with the development and design of the app.

The project has been born from the Czech firm’s Strategy 2025, which aims to develop new ways of thinking about the automotive industry, looking at electric powertrains, digital mobility solutions and autonomous driving.

Skoda recently announced an all-electric version of its Citigo supermini, while the production version of the Vision E, Skoda’s first model to be built as an EV from the ground up, will be revealed next year.