Sometimes, a girl just needs a pair of wheels for a trip to Ikea or an especially large load of groceries. Quebec’s CommunAuto (a car-sharing service wherein one pays a low yearly fee to rent a car when needed via an online schedule) is planning to expand next year with a pay-as-you-go car initiative, similar to the functionality and organization of Bixi bikes.

Banking on the fact that Montrealers will do anything to escape the tropical climate of our metro system, a fleet of 400 cars will be dispatched across Montreal to legal city parking spaces, and can be used for an indefinite amount of time and returned to any other city parking spot within the specific 80km radius.

The hope is that smartphone owners will be able to download applications that enable them to find cars parked in their vicinity, with similar services available online. Fees will likely reflect those of Vancouver’s Car2Go program: $0.35 per minute, $13 per hour, and a daily maximum of $66 plus tax.

CommunAuto has not yet announced the model of car they plan to use, though reports indicate that they may be leaning towards smarter, greener, possibly electric cars, in order to reduce emissions.

Final membership fees, the who-will-fill-the-tank quandary, and questions regarding insurance still require clarification; yet, similar campaigns are already successfully underway in Germany, Texas and Vancouver, with a pilot program set to begin soon in Paris.

~ Tyler Yank