Episode 5 – From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing

Pour lire l’article en français, cliquez ici.

Vulog is launching 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.

This week, we’re shining a spotlight on the stage and starting a drumroll as we finally unveil the name and logo for our Montreal carsharing project. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Leo Carsharing!

Wait a Minute, Do I Have Deja Vu?

If you’ve been following along with us, you’ll know about our flagship mobility showcase, Leo & Go all too well. But although they have a very similar name, Leo Carsharing in Montreal is a completely separate and independent entity. So why “Leo”? We debated our way through an exhaustive list of potential names and in the end we settled on something familiar, simple, and easy for everyone – whether a native francophone or anglophone – to pronounce. 

We will dive deeper into the branding and the story of how we got a logo that was the right fit for both Montreal and Leo, so hang on to your questions!

The Story So Far…

For those of you just tuning in, we kicked things off in mid-March with the first announcement of our Montreal project. We shared our initial goal and the unique challenges and opportunities that Montreal has to offer. We also showed you our jam-packed timeline containing all of the critical steps needed to get our carsharing project off the ground in just eight short months. 

From there, we circled back around to the beginning and talked about our future fleet: what kinds of challenges we faced with available stock and the cost of financing such a large number of vehicles. We experienced a different leasing model that offered more flexibility than Europe, and we got to explore the Montreal carsharing market, where our fellow carsharing operators have been building up the good reputation of carsharing as a business model. 

The following week, we stepped up the job hunt, and highlighted the three outstanding members of our new Leo team in Montreal. We covered training and qualifications, and even the overseas trip from Canada to France where they trained together with the Leo & Go team in Lyon. 

Most recently, we took risk and security to heart as we undertook the long process of insuring our new fleet of vehicles. We discussed the critical first step that is customer registration, and how the process of driver validation, anti-fraud measures, and mandatory damage checks are non-negotiables when it comes to maintaining security for us, the insurers, and the drivers.

Leo’s fleet of six hundred vehicles is set to roll out in early May

Next Time on From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing 

We will return next week with information about our branding, marketing, and the background of Leo including strategies for attracting new customers and how we plan to keep the ball rolling long after the initial excitement of the launch. 

Thanks for joining us for this exciting unveiling and be sure to subscribe to our limited-time newsletter to stay up to date with all of the inside information as we get closer to the launch! 

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