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At a time of rampant inflation, increasing pollution, and with the price of new and used vehicles reaching ridiculous levels, finding alternative ways of getting around has never been so important. How can we reduce the amount of solo driving on our roads? Today more than ever, shared mobility is a green, economical option we can adopt.
What is shared mobility?
Shared mobility is the various modes of transportation that we can share with others (carpooling, car sharing, lift sharing, taxi-buses and public bike systems).
Solo driving still dominates in Montreal and Quebec City
In 2023, there were 2,559,000 vehicles in the Greater Montreal area. During morning rush hour, just over half of the 2.1 million trips take place in a car.1
In the Quebec City area, there are just over 2 million trips a day – more than three-quarters of them by car.2
Why ditching solo driving is the right move
1. You’ll save money. Lots of it.
If you’re buying a car in 2025, get ready to fork out $64,445 for a new vehicle and $37,664 for a used model, on average.3 On top of that there’s insurance, gas, maintenance, tires, licence plates… even if it sits in your driveway much of the time, the costs add up.
Compare that to a service like Communauto, which charges you only for the time you use the vehicle. And there’s an added bonus: zero stress when it comes to repairs.
2. You’ll have more freedom (really)
No need to search 20 minutes for a parking spot. Don’t worry about shovelling out the car in winter. And you’re free to choose which mode of transportation works best on any particular day: cycling, metro, carpooling...
The savings you amass each month can be invested elsewhere.
3. It’s better for the environment
Nearly 43% of Quebec’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from transportation.4 Road transportation alone accounts for 31.2% of total GHG emissions.4 Fewer cars on the roads is a net positive for the climate.
And it can be contagious: a single Communauto car can replace up to 15 private cars.5
Options galore
Communauto: the OG of car sharing
Communauto boasts the largest fleet of shared electric vehicles in Canada and among the largest in North America, with a total of over 7,000 vehicles.
In 2024, 3.5 million bookings were made for trips totalling 110 million km in Montreal.
69% of its members opted not to own a car, thanks to Communauto.
Operating in several Quebec cities, Communauto offers 100% electric, plug-in hybrid and gasoline-electric hybrid cars for one-way trips (FLEX) or for hourly or daily trips (with a reservation). Check them out.
Locomotion: sharing at the neighborhood level
- 193 shared personal vehicles.
- Different types of vehicles (cars, cargo bikes, electric bikes, bike trailers).
- 14 communities.
- Support offered to start a sharing hub.
The LocoMotion adventure began in 2018 in La Petite-Patrie in Montreal, with a citizen group supported by Solon. In 2020, an open-source web platform was created, allowing the initiative to expand to other areas where citizens are motivated to create a similar service. Check them out.
Leo: the new kid on the block
- 600 cars available in Montreal.
- Billed by the minute, hour or day.
- The vehicle must be returned to a Leo zone at the end of your trip, but you can drive outside the zone during your trip.
This new car sharing service, operated by a French company, arrived in Montreal in the spring of 2025. The only downside is that all three models in circulation are gas-powered. Check them out.
Turo: a car sharing marketplace
- Operates in 16,000 cities in five countries.
- 3.5 million users.
- 340,000 vehicles on offer.
The largest peer-to-peer car rental marketplace in the world, Turo allows you to rent a vehicle when you need one, or to rent out your vehicle to people who don’t have one. Check them out.
àVélo: electric bike sharing in Quebec City
The bikes are designed and manufactured in Quebec.
In 2024, 1.3 million trips were made.
The network offers 1,800 self-service electrically-assisted bikes at 165 stations.
Quebec City is the first North American city to offer a 100% electric bike sharing service, something people travelling up hills or long distances particularly appreciate. Check them out.
BIXI: the leading bike sharing service in Montreal (and elsewhere)
In 2024, BIXI surpassed 13 million trips, a new record.
The BIXI network has more than 12,600 bikes (including 2,600 electric BIXIs) and almost 1,000 stations spread out across Greater Montreal.
BIXI also serves Laval, Longueuil, Boucherville, Terrebonne, Sainte-Julie, Westmount, Ville de Mont-Royal, Montréal-Est, Sherbrooke, Saint-Eustache, Deux-Montagnes and Saint-Lambert.
You can subscribe to the bike sharing service or simply use it for a one-way trip. You can rent a bike using the BIXI app on your cell phone or by inserting a credit card in the bike dock. Check them out
Other options to consider
For carpooling or ride sharing: AmigoExpress, Poparide and Covoiturage.ca
For public transportation: Flexibus in the Quebec City region, as well as taxi-bus and shuttle services (RTL, Exo, STM, etc.).
Transit: an app to help you find your way around
The Transit mobile app lets you see all your nearby options, in real time, to complete your trip: bus, subway, train, bike sharing, etc. In addition to Canada, it operates in a number of countries including France, the US and Australia.
In Quebec it operates in the following regions: Charlevoix, Drummondville, Gatineau, Granby, Montréal, MRC de Pierre-De Saurel, Québec, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Saguenay, Saint-Hyacinthe, Shawinigan, Sherbrooke, Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières.
A win-win for the planet and us all!
Changing our transportation habits is good not just for our wallets but for our quality of life and the health of the planet. And today we have more choices than ever to make some changes in how we get around. From cycling to carpooling, there are many options to suit your everyday needs.
So why stay stuck in traffic (and stuck in car payments) when there are other ways to get around? Saying farewell to solo driving is a step toward a greener and more relaxed lifestyle.
