Have you heard the ongoing story of PickupPal yet? PickupPal is a Google Maps-based networking site with about 15,000 registered users in Ontario that helps people find carpool buddies. Sounds pretty useful, right? Only problem is… most of the carpooling going on at PickupPal is illegal. You see, in Ontario it is illegal to carpool or rideshare with someone unless you meet ALL of the following criteria:

• You can only travel from home to work  (no rides to schools, hospitals, daycare, etc.)
• You cannot cross municipal boundaries (no driving to the adjacent municipality for a GO station, TTC subway, airport, etc.)
• You must ride with the same driver each day (no exceptions, sorry).
• You must pay the driver weekly only (bring a calculator).

Ergo, if you arrange to have your boyfriend pick up your cousin Louis at the airport — you have broken the law. If you travel with a friend and give her $5 for gas money — you have broken the law.

Here’s an excerpt of the current law, off the “Save PickupPal” blog: “No person shall arrange or offer to arrange transportation of passengers by means of a public vehicle operated by another person unless that other person is the holder of an operating licence authorizing that other person to perform the transportation.”

This little jewel has essentially allowed the claim to be made that allowing money to change hands between consenting individuals for inter-municipal trips makes the site illegal — in essence, that it makes PickupPal a bus service. On Oct 15, PickupPal had their day in court and presented their case to the OHTB. Now, we all await the verdict. Hopefully, the OHTB will see the light, and a more reasonable carpooling policy will arise as a result.

But in the meantime, no wonder those “carpool” lanes on the 403/404 are mostly empty. You practically have to break the law to use them.

Update, Nov 23, 2008: The OHTB made their ruling several weeks ago, in which PickupPal was charged and fined for facilitating a ride from Toronto to Montreal for $60. Although PickupPal was not involved in any financial transaction involving the incident, they were fined $11,336.07 for facilitating it. (This fine does not include the cost of legal fees.) Due to public outcry over this matter, the Ontario Government has started a legislative process to introduce changes to the Public Vehicles Act, although it is uncertain how long it will be before these changes to allow practical ridesharing are made law.

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