Calgary will once again welcome carsharing, as Communauto will launch 150 cars in the city starting today.
This comes roughly one year after popular carshare company car2go left the city amid rapidly changing mobility options. The service had been in Calgary for seven years.
Calgary had been on Communauto’s radar for some time, according to Marco Viviani, VP of strategic development with the Montreal-based company. Now they will launch a program called Communauto FLEX.
“I know Calgarians have been looking forward to the return of a car share service,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
“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.”
The 150 cars will be available in a 26 square kilometre area.
Earlier this year, the City of Calgary changed its carshare parking and traffic bylaw. It paved the way for companies like Communauto.
“A new three-tiered pricing structure was implemented for operators who want to offer one-way carshare trips. This offers predictability and flexibility for carshare companies due to their unique operating model,” said Eric MacNaughton, Senior Transportation Engineer, with the City of Calgary.
Calgary city councillor Evan Woolley, who was a bit blindsided by the loss of car2go, said these changes are welcome.
“As a frequent user of car-share services, I am glad that City Council approved the policy updates and am happy to see Communauto help fill the void that exists in Calgary right now,” he said.
“I am hopeful these policy changes will attract more companies to the city.”
How it works
The service has no monthly fee. Usage costs $0.45/minute, $15/hour or $50 for one day and $35 the following days.
For day trips, 100 kms are included in the trip price, and additional kms are billed at $0.20/km. Other plans are offered allowing people to use cars for $2.95/hour, plus $0.29/km, with fuel and insurance included.
Communauto will have increased sanitization measures in place. This includes the availability of sanitizing gel in the cars, the obligation to wash hands before and after using a car and disinfecting the cars on a weekly basis. Additional time up 15 minutes will be offered for free before each use to allow time to disinfect the interior of the car if desired.
“Communauto aims to offer a real alternative to car ownership in complement to transit and active mobility. Today we start with a limited fleet in a certain area ready to expand the service following the demand of Calgarians,” said Benoit Robert, CEO and founder of Communauto.
