Car-sharing company Communauto announces launch in Calgary
Communauto announced it is launching a new car-sharing service in Calgary after coming to an agreement with city officials on a “free-floating” parking policy.
Starting Thursday, an initial fleet of 150 Communauto Flex cars will be deployed in a 26 square kilometre area of the city, from 50 Avenue S.W. to 21 Avenue N.W. and from 37 Street S.W. to 17 Street S.E. But the launch was made possible when city council approved a revised Carshare Parking Policies and Traffic bylaw earlier this year.
“Communauto aims to offer a real alternative to car ownership in complement to transit and active mobility. That is why we propose a tariffication adapted as well to small errands, going for groceries as for weekends or vacations. In Calgary, we wish to grow a local mobility service, as we did for more than 25 years in many other communities in Canada,” said Benoit Robert, CEO and founder of Communauto.
The Quebec-based company offers a flexible pricing system.
The service has no monthly fee and its usage costs $0.45 per minute, $15 per hour or $50 for one day and $35 the following days. For day trips, 100 kilometres are included in the trip price, and additional kilometres are billed at $0.20 per kilometre.
Other plans are offered that allow for people to use cars for $2.95 per hour, plus $0.29 per kilometre with fuel and insurance included.
In the next few weeks, people can pre-register or become “beta-testers with the exclusive use of the car for free until the complete fleet is available. The service will start-up in September.
Communauto, which operates in 14 other Canadian cities, intends to fill the car-sharing void left when Car2Go pulled out of Calgary and North America last fall.
In its announcement to leave the city, Car2Go said the Alberta city was a “highly volatile” transportation market and had limited success when compared to other Car2Go cities.
Immediately following Car2Go’s announcement, Coun. Evan Woolley said he contacted transportation administrators to reach out to similar services to fill the large gap in the city’s mobility network.
During Communauto’s announcement, Woolley said car-sharing is a key component to the city’s mobility. He said it’s important for some families to have a car-sharing option to save money and balance their budget.
Communauto announces launch in Calgary
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Originally Posted by cam_wmh
