A car for a dollar a day

tauringhuang.

Posted by: Economist.com | LONDON
Categories: Car rental
A CANADIAN company, CityFlitz, is renting out cars in Toronto for just C$1 ($0.9) per day. The catch in this extraordinary deal is that your vehicle—a Mini or a Smart car—will be covered with advertising and you must drive at least 30km a day within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

At first glance this seems like a decent option for someone who does not need to travel subtly, but I do wonder who will actually use it. Business travellers may want something more sober and could well be underwhelmed by the discounted price. And tourists may find the need to drive 30km each day onerous if they would actually rather head up the CN Tower or vegetate on the islands. Also, the car shouts “out-of-towner” in a way that could encourage the attentions of a pickpocket or car thief.

So perhaps it's aimed at car-less locals? But wouldn't they take public transport within the GTA? And if they want to use the vehicle to transport large items, then Minis and Smart cars aren't ideal. So who exactly would benefit from such a deal?