GM's car-sharing service, Maven, continues to grow. The on-demand access to vehicles is now in Canada's largest city, Toronto.

General Motors car-sharing service, Maven, which offers customers access to personalized, on-demand mobility services, has opened for business in Toronto, Canada’s largest city.

So far, GM has rolled out Maven in more than a dozen cities in North America, including New York and Los Angeles.

“Toronto has a unique spirit. Residents are constantly on the go and want more sharing and mobility options,” said Julia Steyn, vice president, General Motors Urban Mobility and Maven. “Maven offers cars Torontonians want to drive to help them be there for the moments that matter.”

Steyn, who is responsible for promoting the new GM service across North America, added Toronto residents, who sign up for the Maven service can “seamlessly” access cars through a mobile app, including locating, reserving and unlocking them. 

(GM plans to launch driverless ride-share technology by 2019. Click Here for the story.)

Maven customers will experience seamless smartphone and keyless integration with the vehicle.

Fees run as little as $9 per hour and a broad vehicle portfolio is available on-demand and located around the corner from where members live, work and play, she said.

“Bringing Maven car sharing to Toronto not only reduces congestion, but also represents the latest step in the development of General Motors’ mobility footprint in Canada,” said Steve Carlisle, president and managing director, General Motors of Canada.

“The launch of Maven follows the recent opening of our Canadian Technical Centre-Markham Campus, the largest automotive technology development center of its kind in Canada, and furthers our ability to bring new solutions to existing problems and redefine the future of mobility in Toronto and beyond,” Carlisle added.

(Click Here for more about Maven’s growth.)

Car sharing reduces congestion and helps everyone get there faster. Each shared car takes about 10 private cars off the road, and thanks to Maven, car ownership in Toronto is no longer necessary, GM officials said.

GM has found that on average, people who use roundtrip car sharing are more likely to leverage transportation options, including bus, rail, walking, biking and carpooling. Maven removes the barriers to sharing with a simple, intuitive app. There are no signup or membership fees, so members only pay when they’re in a car.

Maven plans to offer 40 vehicles initially, including Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu, Tahoe, Trax and Volt; GMC Acadia and Yukon; and Cadillac ATS and XT5. The vehicles cars are equipped with technology, including OnStar, Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as SiriusXM Radio.

(Fewer autos will drive more miles and use more oil by 2040, study says. Have a look, Click Here.)

It also has selected parking locations in areas such part of the Toronto metropolitan area that are that are home to or used by a large number of Toronto residents such as Bloor West Village, Liberty Village, King West, The Entertainment District, City Place, Yonge/Eglinton, Leslieville, Ryerson University, The Danforth, Financial District, Little Italy and Eaton Center.