Select Board debates how to regulate peer-to-peer car sharing, including medallion limits and registry

Select Board members spent more than an hour on Jan. 8 discussing whether peer-to-peer car sharing should be treated as a regulated car rental activity on Nantucket or be exempted and handled via a voluntary registry.

The debate grew out of a packet attachment that offered two options: (1) affirm that peer-to-peer car sharing is not required to obtain Chapter 58 rental agency licenses and medallions; or (2) create a narrow exemption for owners of one or two personal vehicles while requiring registration and licensing for persons operating three or more cars.

Why it matters: Select Board members said the issue touches on parking, public safety, the island's existing cap on authorized rental cars and longstanding medallion rights held by local rental agencies. Several board members urged caution about loosening rules because of enforcement difficulties and the risk of increasing the number of cars on the island.

Libby (Staff member) told the board the town had collected two draft approaches from Town Counsel for consideration and that…