View of the air traffic control tower from the fourth floor of the Smart Parking Garage at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Tribune News Service
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Users of peer-to-peer vehicle-sharing services, like Turo, will be subject to new fees next year at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Cleveland’s Board of Control this week agreed to levy a 10% fee for use of Turo services on airport grounds, starting Jan. 1.
Peer-to-peer vehicle sharing, of which Turo is probably the most well-known, is akin to short-term home rental services like Airbnb, but for cars. Users who have a vehicle can rent it out short-term to other users, and airports have become a common exchange point, especially for out-of-town travelers who are looking for a temporary set of wheels.
Airports around the U.S. have begun charging fees for vehicles exchanged at their properties, and Cleveland is following suit, airport spokesman John Goersmeyer previously told cleveland.com.
The fee is also an attempt to level the playing field in Cleveland, where the airport already charges similar fees for other vehicle services, like traditional car rentals and rideshares, such as Uber and Lyft.
The airport is able to charge fees for peer-to-peer vehicle sharing under legislation passed by City Council in June. Based on early information from Turo, the city estimates the new fees will generate a few hundred thousands dollars annually, Dennis Kramer, the airport’s director of planning and engineering, told the Board of Control.
Turo, a San Francisco-based company, was founded in 2009, but has grown in popularity in recent years. Airports have become a convenient drop-off and pick-up location, and Hopkins is no different. On Thursday, Hopkins was offered as a pick-up point for more than 88 vehicles that were available to rent over the coming weekend.
More and more airports have been moving to regulate the service. Cleveland looked to airports in Ontario, Tampa, Lee County in southwest Florida, and Asheville, North Carolina as models for its new regulations, Goersmeyer said.
On top of fees, Cleveland’s airport director is newly empowered to set up other regulations for Turo and similar services. That could include requiring a decal on Turo vehicles located on Hopkins property, or establishing designated areas where the vehicles can be parked.
Cleveland.com has sought more details about how the service will be regulated in Cleveland. Earlier this year, the airport spokesman said he wasn’t aware of any security concerns arising from Turo use, including vehicle thefts or thefts from Turo vehicles.
The company’s website describes two ways for Turo renters to obtain keys to the vehicle: remote unlock services on vehicles with such capabilities, or a physical hand-off, where the owner meets the renter to turn over the keys.
