Peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace Turo has been chosen as GO Transit’s official car sharing partner.

Turo and GO Transit are partnering to allow Ontario riders to request vehicle delivery at GO stations, located across Canada’s Greater Golden Horseshoe region. The secondary region of Southern Ontario is the most densely populated and industrialized in Canada.

A division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Ontario Government, GO Transit is the regional public transit service for the region. This partnership between the agency and Turo will allow ride-share customers to more easily reach their desired post-train or bus trip destination.

“The Turo partnership provides more convenient ways for GO customers to travel the ‘first and last mile’ to and from their final destination. We’re excited to bring this new travel option to life and for customers to be able to extend their trip options to discover Ontario,” said Mark Childs, chief marketing officer at Metrolinx, in a news release.

And easier access to public transportation means the potential for less need for fossil fuels and a decrease in personal vehicles on the road.

“Through our partnership with GO Transit, Turo is looking forward to making transportation as a whole more accessible to Canadians while putting existing vehicles to better use. Travellers who might typically overlook public transportation because their final destination is beyond GO Transit’s bus/train network have greater incentive to revisit this travel option knowing they can conveniently extend their trip with Turo,” said Cedric Mathieu, senior vice president and head of Turo Canada, in an emailed statement to Auto Remarketing Canada. 

“As an added benefit, this partnership will allow travellers to reduce collective fuel usage by giving them the option to split their travel between public transportation and a Turo vehicle, which could be an EV or hybrid for an even smaller emissions footprint.”

Turo leadership said it has thousands of active vehicles in Ontario alone, which can be used to access GO Transit’s extensive network. And according to GO Transit’s website, the public transit service carries over 70 million passengers a year.

“Working with GO Transit seamlessly aligns with our mission to create a more efficient transportation system that allows for fewer cars on the road, accessed by more Canadians,” Mathieu said in the news release.

“Turo offers a natural extension to GO Transit’s network and gives local travelers a flexible and convenient option to reach their next destination. Whether guests want to explore local hotspots, embark on an unforgettable out-of-province trip, or simplify their daily work commute, Turo and GO Transit can help them discover new avenues for exploration.”

To better publicize the new partnership and opportunities it provides, Turo has launched a new marketing campaign. The campaign includes content at the Exhibition and Union GO Stations, on-train announcements, and what Turo calls an interactive, consumer-facing live brand activation in the Union Station Skywalk.

The company said the marketing efforts are designed to inspire travelers to explore its selection of cars, and the Skywalk activation is positioned to allow visitors to experience how Turo connects its users with their next travel experience.

The Turo app is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Riders can visit the Turo website and search for a GO station to find vehicles available for pick up.