Victoria is on the verge of tourist season, and a new company is hoping to be a driving force of those tourism dollars.
Hey Ya Rentals, which offers rentals and tours on street-legal electric golf carts, has made its debut on downtown Victoria streets, ready to take sightseers off the typical tourist track.
“The whole concept behind the business is to see the city like a local,” says Tasha Maynard, owner of Hey Ya Rentals.
The company, based out of Vancouver, got its licence to operate in Victoria last year, but didn’t hit the road until this week.
Anyone interested in renting a cart must have a valid driver’s licence and be at least 21 years old, with the carts being considered “cars” that must stay on the roads, and not in bike lanes or sidewalks.
“For these, you need to stay on roads that are 50 kilometres and below, and we give all our renters the safe zone of south of Fort Street,” says Maynard.
The owner says the golf carts have been welcomed in Vancouver, and she expects a similar response in Victoria.
“We haven’t had any problems so I couldn’t see us having any problems in Victoria,” she says.
By this weekend, locals can expect to see a fleet of 15 little blue electric sightseeing golf carts, operating out of the View Street parkade.
They’re Transport Canada approved, ICBC insured and come equipped with windshield wipers, turn signals, back-up cameras, touch screen navigation, seatbelts and locked spots for precious cargo.
