Ontario woman, 84, with valid driver's licence told she was too old to rent a minivan
CBC
Elizabeth Schlarb usually drives every day.
The 84-year-old lives with her two adult foster sons, who have special needs, in Barrie, Ont., and routinely drives the pair to their weekly activities.
So Schlarb was shocked when staff at Green Motion — a car rental franchise in Mississauga — told her she couldn't rent and drive a minivan she was picking up from the company because she was too old.
"I was offended," she told CBC Toronto. "I don't have any speeding tickets, I don't have any accident tickets."
Schlarb was trying to rent the minivan so she and several family members could carpool to New Brunswick to visit her daughter and son-in-law in August. She and her granddaughter, Alisha Geniole, were planning to share the driving duties.
Instead, they ended up taking two vehicles and both Schlarb and Geniole drove the whole way.
"I wish I could have gone back [to Green Motion] afterwards and said that I did drive — the 1,300 kilometres — all the way there and all the way back," said Schlarb.
"Don't judge people by their age … because anybody could be a bad driver, anybody could be a good driver."
The U.K.-based rental car company has franchises worldwide, including two Canadian locations in Mississauga, west of Toronto. Green Motion's terms and conditions for drivers in Canada include a minimum age of 23 and a maximum age of 80.
While many major vehicle rental companies in Canada have minimum age requirements, Green Motion was the only company CBC Toronto could find whose policy lists a maximum age for drivers across the country.
In a statement, Green Motion International said the restrictions are often in place because of the demands "placed on the given rental operation" by its insurance company. It also says it lets local franchises govern the policy so that it "meets with/supports local legislation."
In a separate statement, the owner of the franchise Schlarb dealt with didn't specifically address the age policy.
"We review and update all company policies on a regular basis, including customer service policies," said Mike Hashemi. "We are always looking for improvements that can provide our clients the highest level of service."
An elder law expert says Green Motion's policy could be violating the Ontario Human Rights Code.
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