Communauto expanding to Montreal’s West Island and Nuns’ Island

Communtauto is expanding to the West Island of Montreal as well as Nuns Island. (Communauto)

The ride-sharing company Communauto is expanding its fleet and heading to the West Island in a new partnership with the REM light-rail line.

The Quebec-based company said it will have 450 new vehicles in its network and will also expand its FLEX service to Nuns’ Island.

The company will add 26 reservation-based cars near the following REM stations:

• Du Ruisseau
• Bois-Franc
• Sunnybrooke
• Pierrefonds
• Sainte-Dorothée
• Grand-Moulin
• Deux-Montagnes
• Des Sources
• Anse-à-l’Orme

It is the first time the company has entered the West Island.

“This initiative concretely illustrates the complementary nature of carsharing and public transit,” said Communauto CEO Benoît Robert. “The presence of a backbone network like the REM creates favorable conditions for deploying a car-sharing service connected to the existing network.”

The new Nuns’ Island FLEX area will be in the centre of the island for FLEX vehicle pick up and drop off for trips to and from other areas in Montreal.

Similar rollouts took place in Pointe-aux-Trembles and Lachine.

With the 450 new cars and 300 replacements, the company said it expects to have 5,000 FLEX and station-based vehicles in Montreal by the summer.