Episode 8 – From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing

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Vulog has recently launched Leo Carsharing, a brand-new carsharing service in Montreal! We are teaming up with a local dealership group to bring Montrealers a smarter, more convenient way to get around. We want to bring you along for the ride with an exclusive, first-of-its-kind series that takes you behind the scenes to show what it really takes to build a successful carsharing service from the ground up.

Last month, we celebrated the official launch of Leo Carsharing, and were blown away by the initial response as we got things underway! Now just one month later and with things beginning to settle into the rhythm of daily life, let’s take a look back at the entire process from planning to execution, and see what lessons can be learned. 

First Impressions

We have to begin with our surprise at the speed and size of the initial response. In just the first three weeks of operation alone, the Leo team registered over 5,000 new members, smashing our own initial expectations and underscoring the importance of carsharing to the culture of Montreal. Further proving that point was the scope of media coverage over the launch which was immediate and incredible, with multiple articles, videos and interviews helping to spread the word and interest.

And what about the team on the ground? They were able to get a head start on operations by beginning with a soft launch over the weekend of May 11th and 12th which saw the company striving to finish prepping vehicles, getting them parked on the street, and working on approving the list of customer registrations. The soft launch, which quickly transitioned into the full-fledged grand opening, was like a microcosm of the past eight months – reflecting the speed at which the project unfolded, developed, and ultimately culminated in a successful launch.

Navigating Challenges on the Road (Side)

While we can’t understate how exciting and encouraging it is to have had such a successful start, it’s important to remember that there’s always something to improve upon, challenges to address, or problems to fix. Whether accounting for vehicle damages due to vandalism or addressing logistical issues, we tried to expect any issues and have a plan B, C or D in mind to help resolve them. 

One main challenge we had outlined in the early stages of the project planning was moving the vehicles for street cleaning. As all Montrealers here will know, the city’s streets are constantly being cleaned and any vehicles need to be moved beforehand in order to avoid fees. But who is responsible for moving a shared vehicle if nobody has reserved it? In the early days, it was the Leo team themselves who would rush to the scene and reposition the vehicle if needed, but of course, the best course of action is for Leo users themselves to park their vehicles where it is safe to leave them for the next 24 hours. 

While our data science team is hard at work to develop better methods for quickly identifying vehicles in the cleaning zones, it is still an issue that is best resolved with the hyper-local knowledge of the residents themselves who can drive and park the vehicles according to their individual neighborhoods and boroughs. 

To help speed up that process, Leo recently launched Leo Daily – a monthly subscription which allows users to have 30 free minutes of driving every day. The goal is to encourage more frequent use, which can help reduce the risk of a vehicle getting stuck on a street due to cleaning. Another workaround has been enlisting the help of the community when street cleaning days come around. If there is a Leo car on the street, a user can move the car to a safe parking spot, document it, and let the Leo team know. In return, they receive an extra five dollar credit as a little ‘thank you’ gift.

Lessons Learned

All in all, the work that went into the project was a monumental effort in such a short amount of time that was able to end in a very positive result. The only change that would be worth taking into consideration for any aspiring carsharing companies out there, is the amount of time needed for vehicle preparation and the amount of time, labor, and attention that is required to finish that task. Because of that, it would’ve been easier to have fully finished preparing the entire fleet of vehicles before continuing with the launch, so that the team can be fully focused on the new day-to-day operations as soon as they begin. Lastly, it is important to remember that even the best laid plans cannot control everything, and certain aspects – such as, say, vehicle supply during an ongoing tariff dispute – can still cause unavoidable disruptions. 

What’s Next for Leo Carsharing?

The growth of Leo Autopartage has already been fantastic and we couldn’t be more excited about the future. It’s still the early days, requiring careful attention, reaction to the needs of Leo’s users and making a more streamlined and enjoyable experience. To help, Leo Autopartage’s distant cousins from Leo&Go in Lyon have been working closely with the Montreal-based company to help support the launch and to leverage their four years of professional knowledge and operational tweaks to get things running smoothly. The main goal for the near future is to grow Leo’s userbase and improve the service, and while it’s still too soon to have any further statistics or insights to share from their operations, we will surely be watching Leo’s growth over the coming months and years with great interest.

Next Time on From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing 

Stay tuned in the future for more insights from Leo Autopartage in Montreal, including some exclusive interviews, progress updates, and impressions from the team!
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Past episodes of From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing: 

Episode 1: The one where they figure out how to launch a carsharing service in just 8 months

Episode 2: The one where they put the “car” in “carsharing”

Episode 3: The one where they build their dream team

Episode 4: The one where they take on risk

Episode 5: The one where they finally say the name of the company

Episode 6: The one where they build the buzz

Episode 7: The one where they paint the town purple