Foreign license: I have a foreign driver’s license. Do I have to exchange it for a Québec permit to have access to your service?
The answer to that question varies according to whether your situation corresponds to one or other of the following situations:
–  you are a new resident of Quebec
–  you are a tourist or a visitor to Quebec
–  you are a student, a "coopérant" or a foreign trainee
–  you are a temporary worker

Whichever your situation, you must be able to have a billing address in Canada for us to be able to accept your request to become a member.

International driving license: Does it exempt me from having to obtain a Quebec permit?
Legally, the international driving license is nothing more than an official translation of a driving license in various languages. In Quebec it serves only as an official translation at the time of the exchange of a permit written in a language other than French or English.
It gives you no other advantage and so it is of no use if the permit you possess is already written in either of these languages.

To be valid in Quebec, the International driving license must also be submitted with a driving permit recognized in Quebec and be issued in the same jurisdiction. So you have to obtain the permit in your own country before traveling. Unfortunately, it is not possible for travelers to do it here.

Probationary licence: Is it possible to join Communauto with only a probationary licence?
A person 21 or over possessing a permit to drive a vehicle alone is eligible. A probationary licence, however, is not sufficient to rent a vehicle from one of Communauto's associate rental companies.

Accidents and demerit points: What is the maximum permitted?
THE S.A.A.Q. FILE: Your driving record must have no mention of impaired driving for two years preceding your request for membership. Your request will be automatically refused if it contains more than one infraction. Also, your driver’s file must not have more than a total of 5 demerit points (they remain in your file for two years following the date you were found responsible or have paid the fine). According to the S.A.A.Q. an acceptable file has 0 to 3 demerit points. More than 90% of Québec drivers are in this category.

CENTRAL FILE OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS AND CLAIMS:
• more than 72 months (6 years) of driving experience: You cannot have been implicated in more than 3 incidents which involved damages greater than $1000. As for accidents where you were responsible, the maximum allowed is 2 cases (this information remains in your file for 6 years after they are registered).

• less than 72 months of driving experience: Other criteria apply if your driving experience is less than 72 months.

• probationary licence: Other criteria apply if you have a temporary permit.

To know the address for requesting your files see the section “How to join”.

Credit Card: Is it necessary to possess one in order to use your services?
Communauto does not accept payment by credit card. So the fact that you do not posses one causes Communauto no problem. A credit rating check will however be made before you can have access to our service.

Insurance: Is it necessary to have personal automobile insurance in order to use Communauto’s vehicles?
No. When you use one of our cars you are automatically covered by Communauto’s insurance; it is included in the price. In the case of an accident your liability is limited to the deductible you have selected upon signing the Contract, i.e. $0, $250 or $500 per accident. Usually, no deductible is billed if you are not responsible for the accident.

Couples (Partners): If only one of us is a member, is the other permitted to drive the vehicle?
If only one of a couple is a member of Communauto, the other may only drive the vehicle when the actual member is present. If you both wish to have the same access privileges, the contract for “joint-memberships” will better respond to your needs.

Changing parking space: Is it possible to take a vehicle from one parking space and return it to another?
Unfortunately that is not possible. You must always return the vehicle to its departure point and pay for the whole of the intervening period. Any other arrangement would involve greater costs (such as the need to arrange for additional parking spaces at various places to collect the “visiting” vehicles, the redistribution of other cars in the network, etc.), and Communauto concluded that it would not be in the best interest of its members if it was obliged to raise prices because of such a decision. For inter-city travel, nothing prevents you from taking the train or bus to another city, for example, and when you are there, using one of Communauto’s vehicles. Communauto has arranged to have parking spaces very close to the bus and train terminals.

Must I always indicate the hour at which I shall return the car when I make my reservation?
The duration of the period you wish to reserve must be clearly indicated. However, our price schedule gives you a large amount of latitude in this matter. For example, in the case of a local trip (a journey of a few kilometers) the cost is the same whether you reserve the car for 12 or 24 hours. As our regular rate varies between $1.55 and $2.05 an hour for these trips, it is generally possible for you, for a few dollars more, to arrange a fair margin of maneuverability.

If you rent a car at the Inter-réseau rate you can reserve by the day and cancel, if necessary, any days that are not needed (if you call the night before or before 9 a.m. of the same day).

Also, if you choose Plan A when you join, you can profit from greater freedom because of the terms of the “workweek” rate (tarif "travail").

Advance reservation: How far in advance should one make a reservation to be sure that there will be a vehicle available?
There is no specific time scale. That said, for journeys during the weekend (or trips of several days) it is always advisable to reserve several days, indeed a week, in advance (particularly during summer for long weekends). This does not mean that you will not get a vehicle when you reserve at the last minute, but you minimize the risk of being one of the 1 to 4% of our “reservations not concluded”.

Canceling: Are there penalties when canceling?
Except for the cost of the phone call, there is nothing to pay if you cancel at least two hours before the time booked for your departure. See our Rules & Regulations (in PDF format) for further details.

Makes and models: What makes and models does Communauto have available?
All our cars are Toyota Echo, Toyota Yaris and Toyota Matrix models. If you wish for a different model, you can obtain one through agreements we have concluded with certain renting firms. Discount, Via Route, Enterprise and Budget are our partners in this matter. You have the advantage of reduced rates when you are a member of Communauto.

Smoking: Do you have non-smoking vehicles?
It is forbidden to smoke in our vehicles.

Ratio: On average, how many users do you have for each vehicle?
The ratio varies according to the month. In winter it can rise to 20 users for each vehicle, and that ratio is reduced to about 15 in summer. Communauto always tries, as far as possible, to adjust the supply to the demand.