Station Information

If the vehicle you have booked is in a station that you are not familiar with, click on the name of the station in the app (from your reservation list, or in the vehicle search tool) to access station information. There you will find instructions for entering/exiting the parking lot (i.e. for a gated lot), or if there are specific parking rules that must be observed at this location.

Also, watch for alerts that may have been activated to pass along important information about out of the ordinary situations. Alerts are indicated to you when you are selecting your vehicle in the app by a red triangle with an exclamation mark, and the words “Important information”.

During your trip, you can click on “current reservation” in the reservation banner to find both station information and alerts.

Yes. In some stations, it is necessary to collect a key, an access card, or a remote control to exit or enter the parking lot and/or to be able to get to the vehicle(s).

You will find these access tools in a lock box, or combination box. Do not forget to return the access cards/keys at the end of your trip. In the case of a combination box, the code is provided to you in the mobile app when you make your reservation.

In most cases, but not exclusively, these stations are located in places where there is no cellular communication. If this is the case, see also “How do I access vehicles located at “non-communicating” stations (usually underground)?”.

Please pay attention to the station information for details specific to each location. (See “How do I access detailed information about a vehicle or station?”).

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.

Unlike a regular station located in a fixed location, a station zone is an area on the map visible in the Communauto app.

The perimeter of the station zone is small enough to be crossed quickly on foot.

Vehicles at these stations are parked on the street and can be anywhere within the zone boundaries. They do not have a fixed parking space.

The reservation

When booking your vehicle, you will only know the area where to find it.

Before starting the trip

Check the exact location of the vehicle in the mobile app before leaving. The vehicle will appear on the map up to 10 minutes before the start of your reservation (if it is already available).

At the end of the trip

When your reservation is done, simply release the vehicle within the station zone boundaries in a location that is not subject to restrictions.

The vehicles also have residential parking permits, just like FLEX vehicles, so the same rules apply for on-street parking. Read the signs carefully.

For more information, see the FLEX Parking Guide for your city:

• Montreal: FLEX Parking Guide – Communauto Montreal
• Toronto: How It Works – Communauto Toronto
• Halifax: FLEX Parking Guide – Communauto Atlantic
• Quebec: FLEX Parking Guide – Communauto Quebec 

You can also find detailed information for each station zone in the info-station, accessible during the trip by clicking on the name of the station in the Communauto app.