General definition of carpool
A carpool with Poparide is defined as a driver offering their empty seats to passengers heading in the same direction and sharing the trip's costs without turning a profit.
This is very different from ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. These companies offer a service where a person hails a driver on-demand to get them from A to B, and the driver receives financial compensation, turning a profit. This is closer to a taxi service and falls within different legislation.
Legality of carpooling in Canada
In Canada, carpooling is regulated at the provincial level. In general, provincial law allows the act of carpooling based on the following rules:
The trip is driver-directed, meaning the driver decides on the trip’s origin, destination and dates based on their own schedule.
The driver and passenger share a trip with a common origin and destination.
The driver does no more than one return trip a day.
The driver receives contributions towards their costs and does not turn a profit.
The maximum seating capacity of the vehicle is one of a van or minivan (this differs between provinces).
Below are links to the articles in the law related to carpooling for each Canadian province.
Alberta: Traffic Safety Act, p23
British Columbia: Passenger Transportation Act, section 1 (2)
Manitoba: Highway Traffic Act, no information available on carpooling but we were informed by a Senior Analyst that it was allowed if driver does not profit from the ride
New Brunswick: Motor Carrier Act, section 1
Newfoundland and Labrador: Motor Carrier Regulations, section 2 (j)
Northwest Territories: Motor Vehicles Act, no information available
Nova Scotia: Motor Carrier Act, section 2 (l)
Ontario: Bill 213, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act has replaced the Public Vehicles Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.54
Saskatchewan: Traffic Safety Act, no information available
We recommend Poparide members check the carpooling law where they intend on using our service.