The car-sharing service Zipcar has announced it will be halting all British Columbian operations as of May 1.
In a statement sent to its members, the Boston-based company pointed to difficulties overcoming challenges presented by provincial regulations.
“Unfortunately, due to the complexities of operating in British Columbia, including local insurance regulations, we’ve had to make the tough choice to close Zipcar locations in your province,” reads the e-mail.
Zipcar, which is owned by car rental company Avis Budget Group, began its BC operations back in 2007 and currently has cars on the road in nine cities, including Victoria.
The company said it has about 80 vehicles total in the Victoria and Vancouver areas.
The car-sharing service isn’t folding entirely, suggesting that members can still use vehicles in the other North American cities it is operating, including Toronto.
“We thank our entire Zipcar community in British Columbia for its support since we first launched in 2007,” said the company.
Zipcar has three major hubs around the Victoria area including on Store Street downtown, on Begbie Street near Royal Jubilee Hospital and off Foul Bay Road at Camosun College Lansdowne Campus.
The Boston-based company becomes the second car-sharing service to leave BC within a matter of months. Share Now, formerly known as Car2Go, pulled out of North America due to competitive markets, rising operating costs, and a lack of infrastructure to support new technology.
Unlike Zipcar, Share Now had not set up any operations on Vancouver Island.
Graham Cox
