Item - 2018.PW28.11

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt the Interim Free-Floating Car-Share Policy, attached as Attachment 1 to the report (March 26, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to conduct an eighteen-month free-floating car-share pilot project, from June 1, 2018 to November 30, 2019, whereby the General Manager, Transportation Services, may issue permits to car-share companies in accordance with the process generally set out in Attachment 2 to the report (March 26, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services with such permits permitting car-share vehicles to:

a.   park in locations designated for permit-parking unless identified as wait-listed; and

b.   be exempt from the three-hour temporal parking duration limits within locations designated for permit-parking unless identified as wait-listed while displaying a permit issued by the General Manager for the pilot program and complying with all other terms and conditions as set out in Attachment 2 to the report (March 26, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

3. City Council amend City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges, to allow car-share companies to utilize the Car-share Vehicle Parking Area Tier 2 annualized permit fee ($1,499.02 annually plus HST in 2017) for free-floating car-share vehicles in accordance with the interim policy outlined within Attachment 1 and 2 of the report (March 26, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to limit the number of free-floating car-share parking permits to 500 per car-share company and to a maximum of 2,000 permits in total for the pilot project.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to report back to Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in the third quarter of 2019 following the completion and monitoring of twelve months of the pilot, regarding the outcome and impacts of the pilot project, and recommendations to improve car-share policies and regulations in the City as they relate to various car-share operating models.

6. City Council amend the 2018 Operating Budget for Transportation Services to reflect the recommendations in this report, increasing the 2018 total revenues by an estimated $0.583 million and $(0.583) million net.

7. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to include an update on penalty notices and associated administrative penalties incurred by car-share companies in subsequent reports on the Pilot. 

8.  City council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the necessary bills to give effect to Council’s decision and authorize the City Solicitor to make any necessary clarifications, refinements, minor modifications, technical amendments, or by-law amendments as may be identified by the City Solicitor in order to give effect to the reasonable operation of the Free-Floating Car-Share Pilot.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:

1.  Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services to report directly to City Council on April 24, 2018 on:

a. a mechanism to enable Community Councils to remove a street or area from the pilot project, as necessary;

b. the feasibility of amending the Interim Free-Floating Car-Share Policy, attached as Attachment 1 to the report (March 26, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services with the exception of areas at/or above the 95 percent subscription rate for permit parking; and

c.  the feasibility of withholding the issuance of permits to car-share vehicles owned by companies with outstanding fines or penalties.

The General Manager, Transportation Services gave a presentation on Revised Free-Floating Car-Share Pilot and Interim Policy.

Car-sharing is a growing new-mobility industry which is evolving as a result of the growth in the sharing economy enabled by mobile technology. Car-share programs have become increasingly popular in many jurisdictions around the world and there is a growing use of this service in our city with over 200,000 Toronto residents being members of a car-share company.

In response to a request from Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC), Transportation Services developed a proposed free-floating car-share pilot project and interim policy that would enable free-floating car-sharing vehicles to park in residential permit-parking areas of the city.

This report responds to a request from City Council on January 31, 2018 for further consideration of the proposed free-floating car-sharing pilot project and interim policy.  A revised pilot project and interim policy is proposed which continues to exclude wait-listed residential permit-parking locations and would address concerns raised during the January 31, 2018 Council consideration of this item. Key changes to the proposed pilot and interim policy are as follows:

-   parking with a valid free-floating car-share permit would be allowed without the three-hour time limit only in residential permit-parking locations;

-   the pilot is proposed to operate for a period of eighteen-months beginning on June 1, 2018 with a report back to PWIC following the completion and monitoring of twelve months of the pilot;

-   the wait-listed permit-parking locations to be excluded would be established at the beginning of the pilot and would be updated semi-annually during the pilot period;  

 -   if the pilot is approved, Transportation Services would develop compliance standards for the pilot pertaining to permit issuance and termination, prior to issuance of Free-Floating Car-share permits,

-   anonymized data collected from participating car-share companies would be made available on the City's open data catalogue, where possible;

The City of Toronto Official Plan and various policies and programs have long supported the operation of car-sharing services as a sustainable transportation option. Car-sharing programs offer benefits to individuals, businesses, the environment, communities, and transportation network, including:

-  Reduced vehicle ownership rates;

-  Reduced household transportation costs;

-  Reduced vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT);

-  Reduced greenhouse gases and emissions; and

-  An increase in walking, cycling, and transit use.

Transportation Services currently administers a program for designating on-street spaces specifically for vehicles displaying a car-share vehicle permit. Car-share operators have also been encouraged to work with the Toronto Parking Authority and private parking lot operators to provide an off-street inventory of spaces.

In recent years, as a result of innovation and growth in the sharing economy, a new operational model for car-share vehicles has emerged in the form of free-floating services, which has prompted a review of the City's existing car-sharing policies and programs. These policies must be carefully balanced against impacts to the existing on-street residential permit-parking system.

This report recommends the introduction of an interim free-floating car-share policy and provides details on a proposed pilot, including rules and conditions, and a pilot permitting system utilizing the existing Car-share Vehicle Parking Area Tier 2 permit fee.