Never tried a car sharing service before? Unsure what to expect? You are not alone! I must admit that in the past, I hadn’t really considered trying a car sharing service like Communauto because it seemed like too much of a hassle. However, once I gave it a go, I could not believe how simple the process was from start to finish!

Signing up on the app was easy, and took me less than five minutes. All you need is your drivers license, credit card and drivers abstract. If you don’t have a current abstract you can request Communauto obtain it on your behalf. Love that! When you join Communauto, you gain access to a fleet of hundreds of vehicles that can be rented at low cost for a few minutes, an hour, a day, or longer! 

After you create your account, you launch the app and search for car near you. Once you choose a car you can block it off, and that ‘holds’ the vehicle for you. Then, when you locate your reserved car, you simply unlock the doors with the app. 

Considering the current pandemic state of our world, you may be wondering how cleanliness and safety standards are maintained in Communauto vehicles.  I was so pleased to learn that each car undergoes a heavy duty clean at least one time a week, often more. As a mom of young children, and a germaphobe at the best of times, I always have a package of wipes in my bag to sanitize! One of my favorite features of Communauto is that the first fifteen minutes of your reservation are completely free, in order to provide you ample opportunity to clean and sanitize your ride!

Communauto has truly thought of everything! Each vehicle comes equipped with its own snow brush, credit card incase you need to refuel, and parking guide to show you were it is safe (and free!) to park and leave the car.

As well, I should mention how affordable Communauto is. It is a common misconception that car sharing services are on par with car rental prices, and that is far from true! With Communauto, you can access a vehicle for as little as 41¢/min, $3.95/hour, $27.65/day, or $149.75/week at the Long distance rate with their Value plans (per km fees extra). You can save even more with the Value Plus or Value Extra plan! Further details on pricing can be found here.

Located in a defined central zone in both Edmonton and Calgary, Communauto’s one-way FLEX vehicles are available without delay, 24/7. I have used the Flex vehicles a few times now to run errands or even for one way trips when I want to walk home! Flex makes it stress free to get from point A to B, and is great option if you rely primarily on public transportation, but need access to a car from time to time for grocery shopping or transporting larger items.

Communauto is also a great solution for spontaneous trips or when you plan to return using another transportation mode. Freedom from parking hassles is one of the big advantages of carsharing. There’s no need to pay for monthly parking, and it’s one more way that carsharing saves you money, since parking is included when you use a Communauto vehicle! I love that you can quickly release the car at your destination within the FLEX Zone to minimize costs and take advantage of parking in resident-only zones.

In Edmonton, Communauto also gives you access to round-trip, station-based vehicles that can be booked in advance- perfect for road trips!

We hope this post was helpful, and highly recommend trying out Communauto’s incredible service. Have more questions? Responses to FAQ’s can be found here, or feel free to send us an email or note via instagram.

Thank you so much to Communauto for sponsoring this post! As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own.