Communauto

Communauto is one of Canada’s most established member-owned car-sharing cooperatives, founded in Québec City in 1994 and headquartered in Montréal. It operates a fleet of over 10,000 vehicles in more than 15 Canadian cities—including Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Trois‑Rivières, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Guelph, Kingston, Calgary, Edmonton, and Halifax—as well as in Paris, France.

Members can book vehicles by the minute, hour, or day using the Communauto app or website. Two modes are offered:

• Station-based round-trip: reserve in advance and return to the same spot.
• FLEX one-way: spontaneous trips within designated zones.

All plans include fuel, insurance, parking, and maintenance. Users may pay a deposit, plus annual or monthly membership, but absence of hidden fees makes costs predictable. Optional damage coverage and easy secondary-driver setup are available.

Strengths:

• Large national network across four provinces plus Paris, giving urban flexibility.
• Transparent pricing; inclusive coverage and no surprise costs.
• Dual model options suiting both planned and spontaneous needs.

Considerations:

• Membership deposit required (e.g. ~$750 in some regions).
• Support delays reported during trips.