Do you love the freedom of spontaneous trips with a FLEX car, without the need to plan ahead?
Have you enjoyed the “station zones” we’ve added over the past two years, making more vehicles available in high-demand areas?
Would you like to see these station zones year-round, even during the winter?
The increase in demand forces us to be creative and to think outside the box!
INTRODUCING RETURN FLEX
As our service continues to grow, we’ve had to get creative to meet the demand all year round. One challenge we face is that reservation vehicles can’t stay on the streets during winter due to parking restrictions and snow removal operations. This often leads to fewer available vehicles in high-demand areas during the cold season.
The solution? Convert them into vehicles without reservation while keeping them associated with the station zone they belonged to during the summer.
This delightful mix will give rise to Return FLEX!
PILOT PROJECT
This new version of our service will be tested soon (in the next few weeks) as a pilot project.
If everything goes as planned, we will have two types of FLEX:
• One-way FLEX: the option you already know.
• Return FLEX: the new option available in station zones
You can continue to use One-way FLEX vehicles for trips from A to B: You can start your trip in one part of the main FLEX zone and release it in a different area within the main FLEX zone (see article 1.1.8 of the Rules and Regulations). You can use the new Return FLEX option for return trips, where you start and end in the same station zone.
A new icon in the app will distinguish Return FLEX from the regular One-way FLEX:
To avoid any confusion, a message will appear in the app when you block a Return FLEX to remind you that this vehicle must be returned within the limits of its station zone at the end of the trip.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS FOR VALUE!
Our goal is to maintain a larger supply of vehicles in areas where we created station zones, so:
Return FLEX vehicles will be priced at the same rates as station-based vehicles available by reservation.
But since the Return FLEX vehicles will still be FLEX vehicles:
• You will continue to benefit from FLEX rates if they give a better price for your trip (possible for trips that are short, even an hour or two, but high in kilometres).
• FLEX passes remain compatible with Return FLEX vehicles.
• These vehicles will also be eligible for the credits offered during snow removal. But we will discuss that when the time comes…
The best of both worlds, right?
STARTING SMALL
Since this is a brand-new side of our service, we know it will take time for our members and our own team to get accustomed to it.
To start with, only a few vehicles will be assigned to this new service. We are aiming for December. If the pilot project proves successful, more vehicles will be added.
More updates will follow!
The Communauto team