Residents push code changes to cover peer-to-peer rental cars and tour vehicles

During public comment at a Skagway Municipality assembly meeting, tour operators and residents urged the assembly to amend municipal code so that peer-to-peer rental platforms and individuals renting vehicles for commercial use comply with the same rules as commercial-operator fleets.

Sherry Clarington, a local tour operator, told the assembly the current definitions and sections in the commercial ground-transportation code do not address individual rental cars listed on platforms such as Turo, and she urged amending chapter 5 0 4 to require individuals to obtain a municipal business license and show proof of insurance. “We need to include the definition of rental cars into this because all the vehicles that are being used commercially…should fall under the same guideline,” she said.

Clarington detailed practical safety measures she favors: visible front-and-back vehicle signage, proof of valid insurance, mechanical-safety inspections and educational materials in vehicles. She said some personal insurance policies do not allow third-party renters and that only a limited set of insurers would permit coverage for such arrangements, citing conversations with a local agent (Debbie Ackerman).

Council members and other speakers agreed some measures — vehicle signage and educational materials — could be implemented quickly, but the insurance issue would require code amendments and additional research. No formal ordinance or vote was taken; the discussion concluded with staff and council members agreeing to continue work on clarifying definitions and enforcement mechanisms.