The San Francisco-based peer-to-peer car-sharing platform said it has secured insurance coverage to operate in B.C. The company did not share an exact launch date, but said it expects to be available in the coming weeks. (The Logic)

Talking point: Turo’s entry into B.C. comes after the cancellation of Boston-based Zipcar in Vancouver and Victoria on May 1, and the closure of Share Now, formerly Car2Go, across North America earlier this year. Turo has been in Canada since 2016; it has 850,000 users and 35,000 registered cars listed across Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. In 2017, it conducted a pilot program in B.C. in partnership with independent car-rental companies. Cedric Mathieu, vice-president and head of Canada at Turo, told The Logic the launch was always planned for this year and could’ve been earlier if not for the pandemic. “The expansion by summer makes sense considering how far along the province is on their path to reopening economy and local travel,” Mathieu said. The platform has seen an uptick in users since the pandemic started, he added, as people turn to cars to get groceries and essential workers forgo public transit for car services.