Evo by early 2024: Burnaby approves city-wide expansion of carshare services

Kia Niro electric-battery vehicles for Evo Car Share. (Evo Car Share)

By early 2024, residents across Burnaby neighbourhoods could enjoy greatly improved accessibility and convenience to use carshare services, such as Evo Car Share and Modo.

This follows the decision by Burnaby City Council on Monday night to unanimously green light bylaw changes enabling carshare vehicles to park on public streets.

City councillor Daniel Tetrault says this effectively signals to carshare companies that Burnaby is “open for business.” He adds that many young people who have moved away from car ownership in Burnaby have expressed frustration with the lack of options when they need a car.

“We are excited to welcome Evo to Burnaby. No longer will people have to leave their Evo at Boundary Road or 10th Avenue when visiting Burnaby. More and more people are moving away from car ownership and looking for alternative ways of transportation. Evo and other car sharing services will add to the vibrancy of our growing city,” Tetrault told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“I wish we had done this a few years ago,” said city councillor Pietro Calendino.

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Under the approved policies, carshare operations will be able to expand across Burnaby as early as January 1, 2024, when the new bylaws come into effect.

There will be new exemptions to enable carshare vehicles with a shared vehicle decal to park on a street longer than 24 consecutive hours and three hours next to property used for residential or commercial purposes between 8 am and 6 pm.

For metered parking space, which is common on major commercial streets, carshare vehicles will be required to pay 70% of the metered parking charges for the parking time that is less than the parking meter limit and 100% of the metered parking changes for parking time that exceeds the parking meter time limit.

This not only provides flexibility for carshare vehicle users but enables the municipal government to offset parking revenues. Such policies are similar to what is already in effect in Vancouver, North Vancouver City, New Westminster, and Victoria, where Evo Car Share has city-wide “home zones.”

As a free-floating carshare service, Evo Car Share stands to benefit the most. On the other hand, Modo is a fixed-point, two-way station carshare service that requires users to pick up and return a vehicle at a designated station.

evo car share metro vancouver home zone map

Evo Car Share home zone map in Metro Vancouver, as of November 2023. (Evo Car Share)

modo car share metro vancouver availability

Map of Modo carshare availability in Metro Vancouver on November 7, 2023. (Modo)

Modo is typically the carshare operator of choice for buildings seeking to provide its tenants and occupants with a carshare service. As of this past summer, over 100 buildings across the province use Modo as its carshare service operator, such as for a transportation demand management strategy to reduce the amount of vehicle supply needed.

Amy Choh, the director of Engineering Transportation for the City of Burnaby, told Burnaby City Council that City staff have had in-depth discussions with Evo Car Share, and the next step is to prepare a carshare operating agreement. Evo Car Share will open up its fleet of about 2,200 vehicles to operate in Burnaby, while Modo will expand with 76 vehicles into the jurisdiction.

“We have already planned to add cars to Burnaby in the next few years; Modo’s diverse fleet covers the entirety of Burnaby and we will be fully committed to sharing cars there long term. We are excited for the growth of shared mobility in Burnaby,” Modo spokesperson Jane Hope told Daily Hive Urbanized.

Earlier this year, Modo reached the milestone of a fleet size of 1,000 vehicles. Evo Car Share’s total fleet size is about 2,300 vehicles, with the vast majority located within Metro Vancouver and roughly 100 vehicles within Victoria.

Within Burnaby, Evo Car Share services are currently highly limited and only found in Brentwood, Metrotown, and the Burnaby campuses of BCIT and SFU, such as at off-street private parking lots.

“We’re excited about Burnaby City Council’s decision, and Evo is working towards a potential launch early in the new year,” Sara Holland, a spokesperson for BCAA, the owner and operator of Evo Car Share, told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“We already have a large membership who live or work in Burnaby that are already using Evo, so we’re looking forward to offering locals more convenience when it comes to getting around.”

When asked whether the City will also consider enabling a public bike share operator, Choh said Burnaby currently is prioritizing on building a comprehensive safe cycling network, but once there are further improvements, the shared mobility options could include e-scooters and multi-mobility hubs.

As part of the bylaw changes enabling carshare, Burnaby City Council also approved new bylaws and consolidated fees regulating patios on public sidewalks and curbside lanes and revised policies relating to temporary street closures, such as for events.

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