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| home>>questions & answers>>frequently asked questions about fobs | |
Frequently Asked Questions about Fobs
Why is The Car Co-op introducing on-board fleet management?The on-board fleet management system will limit access to Co-op vehicles so that only drivers who have booked a vehicle can use it. This will reduce the number of mistakes around booked vehicles, track early pick-ups and/or late returns, and improve fleet security. The system will also provide odometer information to improve the accuracy of our invoices. When should I start using my fob?As soon as you've picked up your fob, please add it to your keychain with your lockbox key, and start using it at your very next booking. How does the system work?When you arrive at the car - before picking up the car keys - fob in by holding your keyfob up to the reader in the front window. After a few seconds, the driver's door lock should pop open. This is your confirmation that the car is ready to drive. Occasionally when you try fobbing in, you might lock the car instead of unlocking it - for example, if the previous driver forgot to fob out. If this happens to you, try fobbing in one more time - and if it still doesn't work, call The Car Co-op's office at 604-685-1393. When you leave the car - after putting away the car keys - fob out by holding your keyfob up to the reader in the front window again. After a few seconds, the driver's door lock should click shut. This is your confirmation that the car knows you've returned it. If the driver's door is now unlocked, try fobbing out one more time. If it still doesn't work, call The Car Co-op's office at 604-685-1393. What does the red blinking light mean?It means that the car is currently talking with The Car Co-op's booking system. Usually the car will be expecting you, and will let you in right away - but once in a while you may see a red light on the fob reader blink while the car calls to check. It will blink very quickly for about fifteen to thirty seconds, and then the driver's door should unlock. Should I fob out every time I park the car, or just at the end of my booking?It doesn't matter how often you use your fob during a booking, so feel free to play around until you get the hang of it! Fob in and you'll be able to turn on the ignition; fob out and you won't. You'll know whether you just fobbed in or out because the driver's door will unlock or lock. The only times that you really need to use your fob are to fob in when you arrive, and to fob out when you leave. If you forget to fob out, The Car Co-op's booking system won't know whether you've returned the car or not - and we may have to extend your booking until we find out. If you prefer to fob out every time you park the car, there's no harm done - but it isn't something we require. It costs us a few extra cents in text messaging costs, but nothing significant; it increases the vehicle security slightly, but not by a lot. As long as you fob out at the end of your booking, we're happy! Does using my fob lock and unlock all the doors?It depends on the car. Fobbing in and out will always operate the driver's door lock, and on cars with power locks, it will operate every door on the power lock system. Note that this may or may not include the rear hatch - and remember that if a door doesn't lock, it could be a signal that the door isn't fully closed. What happens if the car won't start partway through my booking?Just fob in again. Wait for the driver's door to unlock, and the ignition will be enabled. It can help to think of the fob system as a dashboard switch. When you fob in, the ignition is enabled, which lets you turn the car on. When you fob out, the ignition is disabled. Unlocking and locking the driver's door is just a way of telling you which position the switch is in. Only you can turn the switch on - but anyone can turn it off. All they need to do is wave a fob at the wrong car. If another driver accidentally tries to fob into your car while you have it parked, you may find that the ignition has been disabled by the time you get back. This isn't a flaw in the system - it's the car making sure that only you get to drive it! What if I bring the car back late? Will the engine be disabled right away?Not at all - the last thing we want to do is make it harder for you to return the car! The fleet management system will tell us exactly what time each driver returned the car - but only after the fact. This will enable us to extend and/or fine late bookings that previously went unreported, and it will also help us track down our cars much faster whenever one is reported missing. Drivers are still responsible for notifying our office as soon as they realize they might be late, so that we can either extend their booking, or notify and accommodate the next driver. The more notice we get, the less likely a late return will inconvenience another driver, involve a taxi charge or incur a late fine. Why aren't we putting the keys inside the car?This lets us continue to share ownership of our cars instead of just renting them. With the keys in the lockbox, you can get into the car anytime you need to - e.g. to retrieve lost items, or to turn off the headlights if you're passing by and notice that the last driver has left them on. A second consideration is the car battery. The fleet management system is battery-powered - so if a driver leaves the headlights on for long enough, there may not be enough power left to open the doors. This could potentially leave you stuck outside the car, unable to get in and pop the hood so that you can boost the battery! By keeping the keys in the lockbox, we're making sure that you can always get into the car to pop the hood if you need to. What happens if I realize I've left something in a car?You don't need a booking to retrieve lost items. Just take the car keys out of the lockbox - pick up your belongings - and put the car keys away again when you're done. You don't need to drive the car when you're picking up a lost item, so there's no need to use your fob. Can I loan my fob to another driver?No. Each fob is keyed to a specific driver, and they are not transferable. How can I allow another driver to access the car during my booking?If you and another member are associates, you can always access the car during each other's bookings. Similarly, if you make a booking as a driver for a Company Car client, CanWeb will automatically grant access to every driver on your corporate account. You don't need to take any further action. To add any other driver to one of your bookings, you'll need to know their account number. Within our online booking site, click on My Bookings to see a list of all your upcoming bookings - then click on the Details icon for the booking to which you'd like to add another driver. Scroll down to the section called Driver Permissions, type their account number into the white input box, and click on Add driver to booking. You're done! Why do we still need to fill out trip logs?Trip logs contain a lot more information than just the odometer readings. They're our source for a lot of anecdotal information about the cars: damage, cleanliness, maintenance issues, windows left open by the previous driver.... Trip logs are also where you claim any expenses, such as car washes or gas purchases. As we calibrate the fleet management system, we'll be able to rely more and more upon the odometer readings supplied by the computer instead of those supplied by the car. Over time we may even change the appearance of our trip logs, as their main function shifts from logging odometer readings to logging everything else. But they won't be changing in the foreseeable future. Can my movements and location be tracked by this new system?No. There is no GPS system aboard the cars, and we do not communicate with them during your booking. If we suspected strongly that one of our vehicles had been stolen and we contacted the police, the police could use the cellular network to track the vehicle's location to within about one square kilometre - just as they can track the location of any cell phone that's turned on. The Car Co-op is very respectful of and diligent about privacy concerns. Should you be concerned about what this technology means for you, please contact our Privacy Officer, Jamie Anfossi. How do I get a fob?You can pick up your fob from The Car Co-op's office: 205 - 470 Granville Street @ Pender Street. We're here from 8:30am to 8:00pm Monday to Friday, and from 8:30am to 5:30pm weekends and holidays. Nanaimo and Gabriola drivers can pick up their fobs from Green Communities, in Port Place Mall. Why do I need to fob out when I'm finished with the car?Fobbing out secures the vehicle by disabling its engine. This is a great security feature to the OnBoard system as it decreases the chance of the car being stolen or taken by the wrong driver. The charge for leaving the vehicle unsecured by not fobbing out is $35. Please feel free to call us at 604-685-1393 if you have any questions about this system. |
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