Crossing the bridge with Vrtucar - Communauto traverse le pont

GATINEAU, QC, June 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Vrtucar, a carsharing organization serving the city of Ottawa, and Communauto, one of the largest carsharing services in the world, announced today an agreement which gives the residents of Ottawa and Quebec access to a unique network, comprising approximately 1,200 self-service vehicles and extending from Quebec City to Ottawa. This agreement will allow Vrtucar members to use the Communauto vehicles located in 330 stations throughout Gatineau, Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec City. Similarly, Communauto subscribers will have access to 50 additional points of service, thanks to Vrtucar's Ottawa network.

"Through this cooperation agreement, Communauto extends its service offering outside of Quebec for the first time, starting with the city of Ottawa. Along with agreements we have developed in Quebec with the public transit, train and self-service bicycle companies, this project allows us to make sustainable mobility even more attractive", said Mr. Benoît Robert, CEO of Communauto.

"Vrtucar is very excited about the new cross-use agreement with Communauto as it gives our members another reason not to own and operate a car in Ottawa.", added Mr. Wilson Wood, president of Vrtucar.

Residents of the Outaouais region will benefit the most from this new service offering, which will add 80 Ottawa-based vehicles to the 15 vehicles located in Gatineau.

The agreement between Communauto and Vrtucar was announced in the presence of the mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau, who welcomed it on behalf of the citizens of the region.

"As municipal leaders, it is our responsibility to show leadership and environmental stewardship, which is why we're proud to be partnering with Ottawa's own car sharing organization, VRTUCAR, to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car," said Mayor Larry O'Brien. "On behalf of City Council, and the more than 900,000 residents in the City of Ottawa, I'd like to congratulate you on 10 years of service excellence in our city."

"I am very pleased with the expansion of Communauto in the region with this partnership with Vrtucar. This new offer is a concrete way to improve a service already used by more than 260 members in Gatineau and to encourage other citizens to join the network", said Mayor of Gatineau, Marc Bureau.

This agreement could represent the first step towards an even closer collaboration between Vrtucar and Communauto.

For further information: Marco Viviani, Communauto, Development and public relations executive, 1-866-498-8099, extension 2119, [email protected]; Wilson Wood, Vrtucar, President, 613-798-1900, [email protected]