Car2Go could come back to Toronto

Thestar.com
July 17, 2018
David Rider

Car2Go’s vehicles have rolled out of Toronto, but efforts continue to lure them back for 80,000 former Toronto customers, the Star has learned.

Councillor Mike Layton, a Car2Go member until the international company announced in May its pullout over City of Toronto rules, is hopeful the “free-float” service -- allowing users to pick up a car and leave it somewhere else -- will roll back in.

Car2Go could return to Toronto if city council amends its restrictions to make it easier for the car-share vehicles to be parked on residential streets.

“I definitely think we’ll have a place we’ll be able to get on this and I’m encouraged the dialogue is still going on,” said Layton, who met with Car2Go officials last week. He wouldn’t say who else was present, but the Star confirmed an official from Mayor John Tory’s office participated.

“Car2Go explained what they would need to see, and we’ll have to see if city council will go that far.”

Council in May approved an 18-month pilot project starting June 1 to allow free-float car-share services to use residential streets as drop-off points, including those where people compete for on-street parking spots.

Restrictions imposed by councillors included a ban on car-share parking on residential streets deemed to be at 95 per cent or more capacity for parking permits and where there are wait lists for permits.

Also, councillors can veto such parking on streets in their wards. The new rules also require the services to pay $1,500 per vehicle for street parking permits, a fee Car2Go called the highest it has encountered in North America.

Layton said Car2Go officials told him they want changes on the 95-per-cent threshold -- increasing it to free up more streets for their cars -- and also the councillor veto, which adds ongoing uncertainty to the coverage area and makes it difficult to plan how many vehicles to deploy.

The downtown councillor has launched a petition for supporters of the service to sign, to put pressure on his fellow councillors and car-share companies to get a workable compromise.

Council asked staff in May to swiftly review the restrictions that Car2Go said made it “inoperable” locally. That report, likely suggesting changes, could be released as early as Wednesday, ahead of next week’s final city council meeting before the Oct. 22 civic election.

“When you live in an area that is highly subscribed for permit parking you actually should want more of that (car-share) because it might encourage people having trouble finding parking to start using a different method of travelling,” he said.

Michael Silverman, North American communications director for Car2Go, which is owned by Germany-based Daimler, said in an email Tuesday the door remains open to a Toronto return.

“The concerns we voiced regarding the city’s restrictive car-share pilot in May remain unchanged,” he said.

“While it will ultimately once again be up to city council to amend the legal framework of their restrictive free-float car-share pilot, there’s no doubt Torontonians love the flexibility and affordability of free-float car-share.”

Tory spokesperson Don Peat said the mayor himself met with Car2Go officials in June and he supports regulations that strike a balance between benefits to users and potential impacts on neighbourhoods.

“City staff will be bringing a report to city council next week and we hope that debate will lead to a solution that supports innovation and balances the benefits of this technology for users with residents’ concerns,” Peat said.

Gord Perks, the councillor for Parkdale, has said he remains open to changes in the pilot project, but hopes Car2Go “has learned their lesson that we’re going to have restrictions on where you can operate and you’re going to have to deal with that.”

Most important, Perks said, is an enforcement mechanism to ensure Car2Go and similar services can be forced to move parked cars if they are more concentrated than the rules allow.

Meanwhile Communauto, a Montreal car-sharing service, is awaiting the council decision before proceeding with Toronto expansion plans.

“We are doing homework,” meeting with city officials and asking for a pilot period longer than 18 months and the ability to pay only a portion of city permit fees before the actual vehicles are delivered, said Communauto vice-president Marco Viviani.