Here’s everything you need to know:
The zone
The zone where you can end a trip in front of certain parking meters and at certain times (see the conditions below) is located between Sherbrooke Street to the north, Saint-Hubert Street to the east, Viger Street to the south and Guy Street to the west.
How-to
1. The app will display the zone where it’s possible to release a FLEX vehicle at a parking meter.
2. Once you are parked at a parking meter included in the pilot project and after having selected End trip, answer YES or NO to the question “Did you park at a parking meter?” depending on whether you are parked in front of a parking meter (remember to respect the conditions and heed the warning given above if you park after 9pm).
3. If you answer YES, you can then release the vehicle for a $5 fixed fee (taxes included) after entering the parking meter number and clicking End trip once again. Note: After entering the number, press NEXT to remove the keyboard and go to the next step.
4. If you end a trip at a parking meter and have not followed the above steps, know that you will be able to do so afterwards up to 12 hours after the end of your trip. To do this, simply return to your trip detail through the list of your past reservations. Beware of parking tickets if you do not do so before the parking space becomes chargeable again or if you do not pay for the parking meter while waiting to decide…
Note that the $5 fee is a fixed amount that always applies, even during free parking hours.
The reason for this policy is that the privilege of completing a trip downtown at a parking meter will be charged on an average cost basis and it will be impossible for us to know in advance when the vehicle will be used next.
Conditions
You can release a FLEX vehicle at a parking meter inside the designated area, if you respect the following conditions:
- if when you end your trip, the signs do not indicate any parking restrictions until 7am the next morning, or two days later if you finish your trip after 9pm.
- if you answered YES to the question “Did you park at a parking meter?” and you have entered the parking meter number via the Communauto app.
The app will alert you to some, but not all, restrictions (read the WARNING below). You will need to change places if, inadvertently, you did not notice a particular sign.
An important element that we wish to validate is the amount that will be added to the cost of the trip each time a car is released at a parking meter space. This will depend in particular on the time that will elapse on average between two trips. For this pilot phase, the price is set at $4.35 per trip ($5 taxes included).
WARNING
Although most of the parking rules have been integrated into the app, which will warn you if there is a restriction, it is important to know that the app will not prohibit you from releasing a vehicle after 9pm, even if a restriction applies by 7am the next day (this restriction is not yet supported). It is therefore up to you to be vigilant and to watch the signage in order to respect this rule, if you release a vehicle after 9pm. Other restrictions may not be notified to you by the app. It is therefore important to read all signs yourself in order to avoid being held responsible for tickets related to parking restrictions.