Once again, Torontonians will gain access to the free-floating car-share services in November.
On Tuesday, the city announced that as it has accepted a new framework to regulate car-share services, it has issued its first permit.
The first company to get parking permits under the system is Montreal-based Communauto and will start offering its services in the city next month.
Communauto says its first period of operations in Toronto will start with 200 cars over 50 square km in the downtown centre.
Firstly, the company will offer its FLEX service, a pay-as-you-go structure with no monthly cost.
Trips are charged at 41 cents a minute, $15 per hour, or $50 per day.
Customer will be able to collect and drop off cars at authorized on-street parking spaces in the service area.
During a news conference, Mayor John Tory said, “The council-approved free-floating pilot project aims to provide a clear regulatory framework to allow this type of car sharing rather than having companies continue to operate by illegally parking in residential areas downtown where permit parking is available and incurring massive numbers of unpaid parking tickets.”
On Tuesday, Communauto said that if the city settles on to extend the new regulatory framework afar the 18-month pilot window, it hopes to finally expand to have over 500 cars and service to an area widening as far north as Eglinton Avenue.
What are Free-floating car-sharing services?
Free-floating car-sharing services allow people to reserve a close by car with their phones and then use the car for short distances, basically for one-way trips.
Typically, the service is used to fill gaps in transit service and by people who occasionally need a car, but not frequently enough to validate owning one.
