How do I access vehicles located at “non-communicating” stations (usually underground)?

A number of vehicles are located in parking spots where there is a lack of cellular communication, and are therefore “non-communicating”. These are generally stations located in underground parking lots.

These stations are identifiable:

• In Canada: by adding “(NoCom)” at the end of the station name
• In Paris: by adding the words “(S-Sol carte Communauto oblig.)” at the end of the station name. The mention of “carte Communauto obligatoire” means that only key cards or key fobs provided by Communauto will allow access to these vehicles.

The way to access these vehicles depends on whether or not the vehicle key is stored in the vehicle, and whether or not you use a key card or key fob provided by Communauto.

Given that there is no cellular communication at these parking spots, please remember that it is not possible to use the mobile app to access these vehicles. (Bluetooth functionality for vehicle access is currently under development to overcome this drawback. Stay tuned for more information.)

Key not stored in the vehicle

If the car key is not stored in the vehicle, a message will be displayed in the mobile app, along with a triangle with a key inside next to the vehicle number. If this is the case, before going to the vehicle, you must collect the car key from the lock box located outside the vehicle. See “Are there stations where it is necessary to collect a key or access card before you can access the vehicle?”

Type of key card or key fob used

If you have a key card or key fob provided by Communauto, you can use it to unlock the vehicle doors by holding it to the card reader as you normally do.

If you normally use a compatible RFID card not supplied by Communauto, such as a card from a public transit agency (see Regional Specifics in “How do I start my trip once I have a reservation?“, you cannot use it to unlock the vehicle doors. To do this, you will need to use the vehicle key that you retrieved from the lock box, but you will still need to hold your compatible RFID card to the reader to disarm the vehicle’s engine immobilizer.

Important: In a “non-communicating” station, if the vehicle key is stored inside the car, it will be impossible to access the vehicle you have reserved, if you do not have a key card or key fob provided by Communauto.

Requirement to disarm the engine immobilizer after each stop

Beyond any vehicle access considerations, the biggest difference in using the vehicles located at “non-communicating” stations is that, contrary to what is usually the case, you will have to hold your key card or key fob to the card reader again after each stop you make. This will disarm the engine immobilizer so you can turn the car on again. You will not be able to restart the car without this step.

There’s nothing complicated here, but you have to remember these steps if you’re not used to using “non-communicating” stations.