Car-sharing company Turo coming to P.E.I.

Islanders will soon be able to share their personal vehicles as rentals through Canada's largest car-sharing company, Turo.

The Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. sought out Turo to meet an expected need for this year's tourism season.

P.E.I. car rental agencies have 50 to 65 per cent fewer vehicles than they did in 2019, TIAPEI said, because of supply chain issues in the auto manufacturing industry.

It estimates that could leave nearly 9,000 customers and their travel groups unable to get vehicles on the Island this summer. 

P.E.I. Tourism Minister Matthew MacKay said in the legislature Tuesday he is pleased to welcome Turo to P.E.I. to help address the anticipated car rental shortage.

"This is a concern that we've been working on over the past six months," MacKay said. "We've got a working group committed to this and we're on the right path.... We believe this platform is certainly going to help."

Cedric Mathieu, vice-president in charge of Canada for Turo, said the average earnings for a host last year was about $790 a month, adding hosts in tourist hot spots such as Calgary and Vancouver see an average monthly income of $1,100 during the summer.

"We feel there's a huge opportunity for hosts and car owners on the Island to list their cars and try to save the travel season almost," Mathieu said.

All the cars must be safety inspected, under 12 years old and have fewer than 200,000 kilometres.

Insurance is covered through Turo.