From Iceland – Hopp comes with a short-term car rental to Reykjavík, but that is a small problem
Hopp has last week announced a short-term electric car rental in Reykjavíkík. Currently, 10 cars are available for rent, with predictions that this number could increase to 50 after the summer. To rent a car, you need to download the Hopp app and confirm your driving license. Only a plastic version of the driving license may be used.
However, the plastic version of the driving license does not contain information on whether the driver has a valid driving license or whether it has been temporarily lost. This information is in the electronic ID that accompanies the license. This means that drivers without a valid driving license could potentially rent a Hopp car.
Sæunn Ósk Unnsteinsdóttir, CEO of Hopp, says that the reason why it is not possible to use electronic driving licenses is that they are not considered legal documents. “We just follow the rules of the Icelandic Transport Authority. This is exactly the same as all car rentals in the world. You must have a plastic driver’s license, “she said said.
Sæunn says that Hopp is now working in collaboration with Digital Iceland to find software that would work for the whole world and that it will be possible to use electronic IDs when renting a car.
It costs 300 ISK to start the car and the minute fee is 45 ISK. Having the car on standby costs 10 ISK per minute.