Is this like Uber or Lyft?
No, Uber and Lyft are “Ride Hailing” services. This means that you are calling for a professional driver to take you from one place to another in exchange for money. Ride hailing is more like a taxi service and a ridesharing/carpooling is more like friends or colleagues that are all travelling to the same place, sharing the costs.
What is Ridesharing?
A rideshare/carpool is defined as a driver offering their empty seats to people heading in the same direction. Any money exchanged is for the purpose of covering the costs of the journey and not for making a profit.
Is this Legal in Canada?
In Canada, carpooling is regulated at the provincial level. Provincial law allows the act of carpooling based on the following rules:
- The driver and passenger share a trip with a common origin and destination
- The driver does no more than one return trip per day
- The driver receives contributions towards their costs for the journey and does not make a profit
- The seating capacity of the vehicle is not more than 10 passengers
Below are links to the articles in the law related to carpooling for each Canadian province.
- Alberta: Traffic Safety Act, p23
- British Columbia: Passenger Transportation Act, section 1 (2)
- Manitoba: Highway Traffic Act, no information available on carpooling but we were informed by a Senior Analyst that it was allowed if driver does not profit from the ride
- New Brunswick: Motor Carrier Act, section 1
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Motor Carrier Regulations, section 2 (j)
- Northwest Territories: Motor Vehicles Act, no information available
- Nova Scotia: Motor Carrier Act, section 2 (l)
- Ontario: Public Vehicles Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.54
- Québec: Chapitre S-6.01 LOI CONCERNANT LES SERVICES DE TRANSPORT PAR TAXI, section 3°
- Saskatchewan: Traffic Safety Act, no information available
Please check the carpooling law where you intend on using the service.