Episode 9 – From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing

Episode 9:  The one where we learned to get “street smart” 

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Six months ago, Vulog 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.

Back in May, we launched Leo in Montreal with a bold ambition: to prove that a new generation of free-floating carsharing could thrive in one of North America’s largest cities, Montreal. Since then, every week has felt like a new episode in an ongoing story full of milestones, setbacks, and valuable lessons. Launched in partnership with dealership group, Groupe MHT, the service started with a fleet of 600 vehicles and with a clear objective to deliver the best service and most seamless experience possible while reaching break-even within 12 months.

Growth at Full Speed

So far, more than 17,000 Montrealers have joined Leo, with an average of 2,500 people joining per month since the initial launch. On October 12th, 560 people were on the road with Leo at the same time, making the most of our 600-car fleet across Montreal. What’s one important aspect behind this vehicle utilisation rate? Happy customers! Leo members have rated the service highly across platforms.

Leo by the Numbers (Since Launch)

• 17,000 members
• 4.6 ratings in stores
• 3.8 average trips per user/month

Leo carsharing now has more than 17,000 users and counting!

Rethinking Usage Patterns

One interesting trend we have seen over the past 6 months is that Montrealers place a lot of value on both convenience and the ability to plan ahead. Leo’s “Schedule a Trip” function allows users to reserve a vehicle in advance, ensuring that when it is time to pick up, it will be within a 500-meter radius of their home. This capability has encouraged longer bookings, with many users reserving cars for a full day or more.

We saw this advanced reservation tool really in action during the Thanksgiving long weekend in October. Our 600-vehicle fleet was almost entirely booked, with more than 150 pre-bookings managed seamlessly by our team. This milestone reflects not only strong market adoption but also the operational excellence that continues to drive Leo Montréal’s growth.

Keeping Our Vehicles Safe From Theft and…Street Cleaning!

During our first six months in operation, one of the biggest hurdles has been dealing with weekly street cleaning, a routine every Montrealer knows all too well. With no clear street cleaning schedule publicly available, knowing where and when to park a vehicle is complicated. This results in our team relocating vehicles each night, a time-consuming process. To address these challenges, we have empowered our users by offering discounted pricing to relocate vehicles ahead of street cleaning, and we are currently developing a robust internal database that will provide a more accurate street cleaning schedule.

Another challenge we faced was that some of the RVRs were targeted for theft. Thanks to a local partner, we addressed this by adding catalytic converter anti-theft shield protective covers.

A Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Shield Aluminium Protection Cover help keeps the fleet safe from theft

What’s Next

Looking ahead, Leo is focused on making trips even easier and more reliable. In September, we rolled out key app improvements, simplifying trip planning and giving users more flexibility when pre-booking. With these updates live, our focus now shifts to the next wave of enhancements designed to make Leo even more seamless and user-friendly.

To further amplify the user experience, we are introducing monthly and annual subscriptions for premium insurance with zero deductible, ensuring drivers can travel safely and with peace of mind. This initiative is expected to boost registrations while increasing user trust. 

Building on the success of Schedule a Trip, the Montreal team is now automating the process, a major step toward operational optimization. Automation will help in pre-booking management, reduce workload on the Leo team while minimizing the risk of errors, and allow the team to focus more on customer satisfaction. 

With these improvements in place, Leo continues to advance toward its goal of breakeven within 12 months, setting the stage for even more growth and reliability in the months ahead.

Key app improvements have been recently rolled out, simplifying trip planning and giving users more flexibility when pre-booking

Next Time on From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing 

Stay tuned for more insights from Leo Autopartage in Montreal, as we will release a new episode featuring how Léo performed during Montreal’s cold weather and snow management season, including exclusive interviews, progress updates, and team impressions!

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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

Episode 8: The one where they look back at the journey so far