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In a city with a growing population of drivers without vehicle ownership, car sharing services in Toronto are one category of business that continues to grow. As new players have entered the market in the last six months, serving Liberty Village and other neighborhoods, we highlight some of the possible options that you may want to consider the next time you’re looking for a ride in or out of the neighborhood.
Car2go
There are numerous car sharing apps and services available in Liberty Village and across Toronto. To begin with, the one that has been creating the most headlines as of late is perhaps car2go. This company has handled its fair share of criticism recently from the City, racking up more than $1 million in parking tickets last year and seeing battles with the City regarding where users are allowed to park. Among the least expensive car sharing services in Liberty Village, usually one can easily find a car, during busy hours, in the green P parking lot within the neighborhood.
Zipcar
Then, there’s Zipcar which is the closest competitor right now to car2go in the Toronto market. Many Liberty Village residents have used Zipcar in the past for moving, picking up furniture, and simply catching a ride. The positive thing about Zipcar is that its service area is quite large which makes it easier to book rides outside where other services limit. If you aren’t into car2go’s terms or have had negative experiences with other car sharing apps, Zipcar might be your best bet.
Enterprise CarShare
Enterprise Rent-a-Car is most well known in the City, however they have a burgeoning car sharing program that has been growing as of late. Though limited in terms of selection – for example, Zipcar has 700 vehicles in the City whereas Enterprise only has 400 – Enterprise has more upper class models than what may be found through other car sharing services. There are several pick-up locations across Toronto as well so if you’re looking to impress, check them out.
Maven
The most recent brand to the Toronto car sharing industry is Maven, which is General Motors-owned. There are numerous GM cars to enjoy with Maven including everything from a Yukon SUV to a hybrid Volt. Some of the advantages to going with Maven is Apple CarPlay included, Wi-Fi, and also, the vanity of checking out Toronto’s newest and coolest in car sharing. Driving rates in Liberty Village are as low as nine bucks an hour, gas is included, and with only a few dozen Maven vehicles in the City, it is very much still an exclusive club.
Considering some ridesharing options in Toronto
These are the four big players in the Toronto car sharing service scene today. If none of these suit you, there may be some ridesharing recommendations that would be of interest. Many Liberty Village residents have hitched rides with either Uber or Lyft before. DriveHer recently launched earlier in March of this year. As a women-only ridesharing app, some residents have taken up DriveHer hoping to help elevate another player in the marketplace. There’s always newer, more alternative ridesharing apps that are trying to gain footing in this very competitive marketplace as well. Needless to say, there’s no shortage of ways to get around.
Car sharing in Liberty Village, as we see it today
Car sharing in Toronto has demonstrated consistent growth in recent years. The young population of Liberty Village have been regular customers of services such as the ones mentioned. As an alternative to car ownership, users are literally saving hundreds that they would have to give over on insurance, gas, monthly payments, and TTC, GO Transit, or public transportation rates.
As Toronto continues to evolve, so will its collection of car sharing services. As long as neighborhoods such as Liberty Village continue to bring in new people from all over the world, car sharing services will continue to meet a need in getting people to where they want to go to.
Though there is some uncertainty at a bureaucratic level in city government regarding how to move forward with car sharing, users enjoy the freedom of being able to drive when they need to without forking over hundreds every month. Be sure to check out the different car sharing services to see what suits your traveling needs. Between these four – and possibly alternatives – there’s something for everybody here.
