A new way to explore downtown Victoria and surrounding areas is coming to town next spring in the form of street-legal electric golf carts.
HeyYa! Cart Rentals is a company that launched in July 2024, just across the water in Vancouver.
Currently they have a flight of five golf carts which can accommodate four, six or eight passengers and they operate out of Canada Place, right in the heart of downtown.
Prior to its launch, Tasha Maynard, CEO of HeyYa! says the concept came to her in November 2023 as she was participating in an IRONMAN competition in Florida.
“Last year, I kind of got in a funk and I was like, what do I do,” Maynard told Victoria Buzz.
She decided to do an IRONMAN competition as it’s always been something on her bucket list. As she was preparing for the Penticton IRONMAN, she came over to Victoria from Vancouver to do a half marathon as training.
Then, the Penticton IRONMAN was cancelled due to wildfires in the area, so Maynard opted instead to go down to Florida to participate in a race there, and that is when she had her ‘ah-ha’ moment.
“Climate change and electric cars was already on my mind,” Maynard explained.
“As I was doing the run, this is the last event of the day, it’s dark, you’re exhausted and there’s these groups of people on these golf carts going up and down the strip.”
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She said she saw how much fun they were having on the carts and that she drew inspiration from them, immediately thinking that something similar could thrive in Vancouver and beyond.
Once she got back to Vancouver she instantly began looking into getting electric golf carts that could be outfitted to be street legal in both her hometown and in Victoria.
Then, this July, she launched and says HeyYa! has been well received ever since.
The carts have been outfitted with a speed boost that allows them to go up to 40 km/h, seat belts, headlights, daytime running lights, turn signals, windshield wipers, hazard lights, rear- and side-view mirrors and emergency brakes.
They are also fully insured by ICBC and require a valid driver’s licence. Additionally, only those over 21-years-old can rent HeyYa! golf carts.
Because the carts max out at 40 km/h, they will be limited in where they can go. They can only travel on roads with a maximum of 50 km/h and Maynard says that the only off-limits area within downtown will be on Blanshard Street between Caledonia and Tolmie.
“We tested and talked to the city and tested again, it was so, so much work, blood and sweat and everything that goes with launching a start-up,” she said.
“It’s groundbreaking. There is no other rental company doing this in Canada.”
With the endeavour of expanding HeyYa! into Victoria, Maynard says she is currently looking for spaces to be based out of somewhere accessible for tourists and locals alike. Once she has that and additional carts, the company will be setting up shop and are thrilled to be doing so.
Keep an eye out for HeyYa! golf carts in the city, as they hope to be open within the year in Spring 2025.
Would you rent an electric golf cart to cruise around the city? Let us know in the comments.
