comos-comos 313

Public registration for the Cohesive Mobility Solution (COMOS) EV car-sharing programme has finally begun. The service - originally due to be launched in November last year - will kick off on May 16, with vehicles set to be available at 10 locations in the Klang Valley.

Yearly subscriptions to the service are now available at a limited promotional rate of RM50, a substantial savings over the normal price of RM300, essentially a year's use of the service at the cost of two months of regular membership.

Here's how it works. Users need to register themselves with COMOS, following which an account - linked to the user's credit card – will be activated. Once you've registered and subscribed to the programme, you'll be able to collect and activate your special RFID access card at Menara UOA Bangsar - COMOS staff will be stationed at the ground floor area from today until the official launch on May 16.

The RFID access card serves as a passkey to unlock the vehicle via a scanner located behind the bottom-right of the car's windscreen. Vehicle bookings can be made online, and usage rates are priced hourly at RM32, with billing blocks split into RM8 every 15 minutes. The initial COMOS fleet will consist of sixteen Renault Zoes.

Rentals can be made at five LRT stations and five public spots, these being Asia Jaya, Bangsar, Pasar Seni and Ampang Park LRT stations as well as locations in Medan Tuanku, Lorong Bunus, Lorong P. Ramlee, UTM Jalan Semarak and Universiti Malaya.

The pick-up locations double up as charging stations – users simply unplug the car before each journey, and upon the return, plug the charging cable back into the car, at which point billing stops. Not doing so continues the billing, so users will have to be mindful of that. You can sign up for the service via the official COMOS website.