(Gatineau) Car-sharing service Turo has ended its policy that prevented its Canadian users from listing their vehicles on other platforms following a Competition Bureau investigation.
Posted at 2:46 p.m.
According to the federal agency, this change will be good for competition in car-sharing and digital markets, where anti-competitive behavior can fix a company’s strong position in the market and prevent entry into the market. market for innovative alternatives.
The Bureau had launched an investigation last summer into the potential harm to competition for current and future users of the platform, after receiving complaints about it.
Turo’s exclusivity policy, in effect in all countries where it does business, prohibited car-sharing users, known as hosts, from listing the same vehicles on competing platforms at the same time.
If hosts refused to remove any of these listings, they could be subject to penalties from Turo, including removal of the vehicle from its platform, the largest in Canada.
Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell said the elimination of Turo’s exclusivity policy was good news for competition in Canada.
“This change helps new players looking to innovate and provide services in an evolving digital market,” he said in a press release.
After being notified of the official investigation, Turo discontinued its Canadian exclusivity policy and updated its terms of service in January.
Turo began operations in Canada in 2016 and is active in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.