TORONTO: car2go is optimistic that Toronto City Council will vote in favour of a new, one-year pilot project that would enable free-floating, shared vehicles to park in residential permit parking areas across the city.
A Transportation Services proposal published January 24th strongly supported a free-float carshare pilot, stating that carshare offers “a number of benefits to individuals, businesses, the environment, community, and the transportation network, including: reduced vehicle ownership rates; reduced household transportation costs; reduced vehicle kilometres travelled; reduced greenhouse gases and emissions; and an increase in walking, cycling, and transit use.”
“We have been in discussions with the city for the past five-plus years in an effort to establish Toronto’s first free-float carshare pilot,” said Paul DeLong, CEO of car2go North America. “We are optimistic that City Council will support Transportation Services’ recommendation to establish Toronto’s first free-float carshare pilot project.”
“In the city’s own words, Toronto is well suited for carsharing, given its high population density in the downtown core. car2go has invested years working with key stakeholders including Transportation Services, the mayor’s office, and City Councillors to effectively address any concerns they may have.
“We have also joined with other carshare service providers and industry experts to share our deep expertise on how to construct the best framework for free-float carshare. As Toronto continues to grow, carsharing is one more solution to help reduce car ownership and improve both mobility and quality of life in Toronto. Over 70,000 Torontonians already use car2go to move around the city, and our hope is that a pilot project will help amplify the many quality of life benefits carshare provides to more Torontonians,” continued DeLong.
car2go’s membership in Toronto increased by 35 per cent year over year in 2017. Toronto consistently ranks as car2go’s most active car2go city in the world, meaning car2go Toronto vehicles are in use with the highest frequency of all of the services’ 26 global locations – more than cities like Rome, Berlin, New York, and Vancouver. Analyst firm Frost & Sullivan projects that by 2025, 36 million people worldwide will use carshare services like car2go.
Once approved by City Council, car2go will apply for all necessary pilot permits and looks forward to being a part of Toronto’s long-term transportation future. If enacted, the free-floating carshare pilot will begin April 1, 2018.
car2go is the world’s largest free-float carshare service, with nearly three million members sharing 14,000 vehicles worldwide. Every 1.2 seconds, someone in the world takes a trip in a car2go vehicle.
Research has proven that free-float carshare like the service offered by car2go effectively reduces road congestion while improving urban air quality.
car2go N.A., LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, offers an innovative mobility solution in \urban areas via a network of affordable, eco-friendly Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicle and a flexible and “on demand” mode of transportation. visit www.torontolovescarsharing.ca.