Three Burnaby neighbourhoods are getting more access to car sharing thanks to recently approved city regulations.
Evo has announced new Metro Vancouver "home zones" in Metrotown, Burnaby Heights and Willingdon Heights, according to a press release.
Beginning today, Jan. 5, Evo cars can be parked in those areas through street parking in residential areas and free metered parking.
Previously Evo cars had access to dedicated parking at BCIT, SFU, Metrotown and Brentwood (which is still available).
"We are thrilled to announce this expansion into Burnaby that will provide another option for people to get where they need to go," said Amitis Khorsandi, director of Evo Car Share.
"Here at Evo, we are proud to grow our services that so many rely on every day."
The expansion comes after Burnaby city council unanimously approved new rules allowing car-sharing companies to park in residential areas and metered spaces.
The Evo fleet currently has 2,300 cars, including 160 cars added over the past several months, and more cars are planned to come in the spring to keep up with demand, according to the release.
There isn't a set timeline to expand into the rest of Burnaby, Evo told the NOW.
The company said it takes a "phased approach to our expansions and grow from there based on usage and demand."
"We will be watching closely to see how this expansion goes and what Evo Members want from us and will take it from there."
Evo has city-wide home zones in Vancouver, New Westminster, the City of North Vancouver and Victoria.
Patrick Nangle, CEO of Modo Car-sharing Co-op, celebrated Burnaby's new parking regulations.
"This is a very positive and much appreciated action by Burnaby to make car sharing more accessible to more people," he told the Burnaby NOW in an emailed statement.
"It creates yet another reason for people to opt out of individual vehicle ownership in favour of sharing. That’s good for household economics and for the planet. We expect our rate of adding cars in Burnaby will accelerate as a result."
Modo has a fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles, with 88 permanently stationed in Burnaby, including 12 electric vehicles.
The co-op has been active in Burnaby since 2001.
Update: This article has been updated to include a statement on Evo's interest in future Burnaby expansion.
