Communauto car share launches in Calgary today

Calgary’s new depot-less car sharing service Communauto officially launched in the city Saturday.

The Montreal-headquartered business was founded in 1994, and bills itself as North America’s oldest carshare operator and Canada’s largest. It already operates in several Canadian cities including Montreal, Toronto, and Edmonton.

 

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“I know Calgarians have been looking forward to the return of a car share service,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said in a news release when the deal was announced. “Communauto FLEX will provide an affordable and convenient option, strengthening Calgary’s transportation network so individuals and families can get where they need to go.”

There are 150 cars available to use, and they’ll initially be deployed in the 26 square kilometre area from 50 Avenue SW to 21 Avenue NW, and from 37 Street SW to 17 Street SE.

This comes nearly a year after Car2Go pulled out of Calgary, to the disappointment of residents who relied on it.

Now, Communauto aims to be Calgarians’ go-to choice for rental cars they can pick up on the street using an app without the hassle of a rental depot.

In Calgary, Communauto cars cost $0.45 per minute, $15 per hour, or $50 per day to rent ($35 for each subsequent day). One hundred kilometres are included in the day-rental cost, and each additional kilometre costs $0.20.

A secondary Communauto plan that includes insurance and gas costs $2.95 per hour plus $0.29 per kilometre.

There’s no monthly membership fee.

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Communauto Calgary members can also book cars in Edmonton through their app seamlessly, although cars cannot be picked up in one city and dropped off in the other.

“Communauto aims to offer a real alternative to car ownership in complement to transit and active mobility,” Communauto CEO and founder Benoit Robert said in a news release.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Communauto will allow users to book an extra 15 minutes at the start of their reservation at no charge to disinfect their car if desired. All users must wash their hands before and after using the cars, and all cars will contain hand sanitizer inside.

Staff will disinfect the entire fleet once per week.