TAMPA, Fla. — Car sharing at Tampa International Airport has gotten a little easier, thanks to a new deal between the airport and car-sharing company Turo.
First reported by the Tampa Bay Times, the new agreement comes after a years-long legal battle between Turo and the Tampa airport.
Turo is a lot like Airbnb, but for cars. People can rent other people's cars directly from the owner, bypassing other car rental companies such as Enterprise, Hertz, or National.
"This is a major step forward in ensuring Turo and all other peer-to-peer car-sharing companies do business here legally and responsibly, which is what we expect from all the businesses that operate out of TPA," TPA General Counsel Michael Stephens said in a statement to 10 Tampa Bay.
"This industry-leading agreement will support the maintenance and safe operation of our facilities while offering more choices and added convenience to our customers – all key priorities for our airport," the statement concluded.
But the airport and the car-sharing company have had a rocky relationship.
The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority sued Turo in 2019, saying the car-sharing rentals were causing congestion in the pickup and drop-off curbsides areas and that Turo was not paying the same fees as other car rental companies that operate at the airport.
The Times adds that Turo argued it wasn't a rental company and thus shouldn't be held to the same standards as car rental companies. According to the Times, both the airport authority and Turo agreed to settle in February. And, the agreement came with certain stipulations for Turo.
The Times says in the settlement Turo agreed to pay TPA a certain percentage of its gross receipts and agreed to rent spaces in one of the airport's parking garages. Turo also reportedly agreed to arrange pickups and deliveries in a designated area and agreed not to advertise on airport property.
Perhaps also aiding the agreement between TPA and Turo is the new car rental bill passed by Florida lawmakers at the end of this year's legislative session.
SB 566 specified a sales tax rate and surcharge for both car rental companies and peer-to-peer car-sharing programs. The bill also specifies car insurance requirements for car-sharing programs and the assumption of certain liabilities.
The bill, however, has not yet been signed into law.
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