Item - 2025.IE24.2

City Council on June 26 and 27, 2024, referred Item IE13.4 to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee for further consideration with the Parking Strategy in the first quarter of 2025, and requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with other appropriate City Divisions, to report on the following:

a. the impact of allowing an expanded free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking areas / streets in the development of the Parking Strategy;

b. the impact of allowing an expanded free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking areas / streets on winter maintenance operations;

c. the possibility to continue to enforce parking regulations when car-share vehicles are in use;

d. the options for free-floating car-share vehicles dropping off and picking up off-street parking arrangements, rather than solely in public locations designated for permit parking under Municipal Code Chapter 925; and

e. the development of a communications strategy on the expansion of the free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking area / streets.

The General Manager, Transportation Services, recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the designation of free-floating car-share service areas outside permit parking areas, and delegate final decision to Community Council on the establishment of free-floating car-share service areas and authorize the necessary amendments to Chapter 27, Council Procedures to give effect.

2.  City Council approve the amendments to City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 925 Permit Parking, and City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, to allow for an expanded free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking areas / streets, generally as outlined in Attachment 1 to the report (September 12, 2025) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the necessary bills to give effect to City Council's decision and City Council 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 consultation with the General Manager, Transportation Services in order to give effect to Recommendations 1 and 2 above.

At its meeting of June 26 and 27, 2024, City Council considered item IE13.4 titled, “Revised Free-Floating Car-Share Program” which was referred to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee for further consideration with the Parking Strategy, along with a request to report on the following:

a. the impact of allowing an expanded free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking areas / streets in the development of the Parking Strategy;

b. the impact of allowing an expanded free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking areas / streets on winter maintenance operations;

c. the possibility to continue to enforce parking regulations when car-share vehicles are in use;

d. the options for free-floating car-share vehicles dropping off and picking up off-street parking arrangements, rather than solely in public locations designated for permit parking under Municipal Code Chapter 925; and 

e. the development of a communications strategy on the expansion of the free-floating car-share program outside of permit parking areas / streets.

In addition, the Infrastructure and Environment Committee at its meeting of June 11, 2025 also requested that staff identify high-demand areas for free-floating car-sharing in the City.

This report addresses the requests above and given the growth of the program seeks City Council's approval to allow for the expansion of the Free-Floating Car-Share Program through several Municipal Code amendments within defined free-floating car-share service area(s) requiring endorsement from the local Ward Councillor(s) and approved by the appropriate Community Council before the area(s) are put into operation. These changes include exemptions from:

- the city-wide 3-hour unsigned parking rule,

- restricted parking prohibitions on highways with maximum permitted limits of one (1) hour or more, and

- parking prohibitions in the former North York from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., from December 1 of one year to March 31 of the next following year on highways set out in Schedule IV to City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 950 (a seasonal bylaw).

These exemptions would proceed through a process where the free-floating car-share company would identify and map a pre-defined service area, outside of permit parking areas, which would be submitted to the General Manager, Transportation Services who would then seek the local councillor's endorsement.

Should the local councillor endorse the proposed expansion area, Transportation Services would then submit a staff report requesting the appropriate Community Council's approval of the free-floating car-share service area. Once the area is approved and put into operation, customers of the free-floating car-share program can legally park and end their trips only within the defined area(s) at the termination of their reservations and only on those streets where the exemptions apply.

The report also seeks to remove the limit for the number of permits issued to one company which is currently set at 1,000 permits on a first-come, first-serve basis out of a total 2,000 available permits. At this time there is only one company that provides free-floating car-share in the City, but in the future, others may also have an interest in participating.

Should City Council approve Municipal Code amendments associated with these exemptions, conditions and process, the Free-Floating Car-Share program will become more accessible to those residents living in neighbourhoods where demand for the service is on the rise and provide a more equitable service across the City.

There is no financial impact from the adoption of the recommendations outlined in this staff report.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.