GATINEAU, Que. — The Competition Bureau says car-sharing service Turo Inc. has ended its policy in Canada that prevented someone from also listing the vehicle on other platforms, following an agency investigation.
The Bureau says the change is good for competition in the car-sharing space and in digital markets where anticompetitive conduct can lock in a company's strong market position and prevent innovative alternatives from entering the market.
Acting on complaints, the Bureau launched an investigation last summer about the potential harm to competition for current and future platform users.
Turo's exclusivity policy — applicable in all countries where it operates — prohibited users who share their cars, known as hosts, from listing the same cars on competing platforms at the same time.
If hosts refused to remove one of those listings, they might have been subject to sanctions from Turo, including the removal of the vehicle from its platform, the largest in Canada.
Competition commissioner Matthew Boswell says the removal of Turo's exclusivity policy is good news for competition in Canada.
"This change helps new, innovative players striving to offer services in an evolving digital market," stated Boswell in a news release.
After being informed of the formal inquiry, Turo stopped enforcing its exclusivity policy within Canada and updated its terms of service in January.
Turo began operating in Canada in 2016 and is active in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2022.
The Canadian Press
