The rules everyone agrees on, before the first trip.
What the charter is for
Sharing a vehicle goes wrong far more often over an unspoken expectation than over a real problem. Who refuels? What happens if someone scratches the door? How long can a balance stay unpaid?
The circle charter puts those answers in writing once. You pick the rules that apply to your circle, and every driver reads and accepts them before they book or drive.
1
You build it
Tick the ready-made rules that fit, set your figures, add rules of your own.
2
You publish it
The charter becomes visible to the whole circle.
3
Drivers accept it
Each driver accepts before booking a vehicle or starting a trip.
The charter sets the rules, the app keeps the record. How the odometer photo, booking approval and the shared statement head off misunderstandings: see private car sharing.
The 23 ready-made rules
Co-oto ships 23 rules, grouped in 5 categories. You are not obliged to use any of them: tick the ones that match how your circle actually shares, and ignore the rest.
Booking
Ask for approval before booking or using the vehicle
Respect the slots booked by others
Warn others and free the slot if you cancel
During the trip
Log every trip in the app
Enter the odometer reading at departure and return
Indicate where the vehicle is parked when returning it
Report any incident, breakdown or damage without delay
Stay within the agreed area (no leaving the country without approval)
Private use only (no subletting or commercial use)
Returning the car
Return the vehicle with a full tank (or the agreed level)
Return the vehicle clean, inside and out
Do not smoke in the vehicle
Return the vehicle on time
Do not leave anything in the vehicle
Return the vehicle to the agreed place
Return the keys or access badge
Return an electric vehicle sufficiently charged (you set the percentage)
Money and damage
Deductible paid by the driver responsible for damage (you set the amount)
Settle your balance within the agreed deadline (you set the number of days)
Fines and tickets are paid by the driver concerned
Who can drive
Hold a valid driving licence
Do not lend the vehicle to anyone outside the circle
Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
The three rules that carry a figure
Three rules are more than a tick box: you enter a value, and that value appears inside the sentence your drivers read and accept.
Rule
What you enter
Range
Default
Deductible in case of damage
An amount, in the circle's currency
0 to 100,000
500
Deadline to settle a balance
A number of days
1 to 365
15
Minimum charge of an electric vehicle
A percentage
0 to 100%
80%
What drivers see: if you set the deductible to 500, the rule reads "If you are responsible for damage, you cover up to 500 EUR." The amount follows the currency of your circle.
Preamble and your own rules
The ready-made rules cover the usual ground. Everything specific to your circle goes in your own words.
The preamble
An optional free text that opens the charter, useful to set the tone or explain why the circle exists. Up to 1,000 characters.
Custom rules
Add the rules only your circle needs: the child seat stays in the boot, the car sleeps in the garage, the ski rack is never removed. Up to 30 custom rules, 280 characters each.
One rule minimum: a charter has to hold at least one rule, ready-made or custom, before it can be published.
Acceptance before the first trip
Once the charter is published, every driver of the circle is asked to read and accept it. Acceptance is requested before the actions that matter:
Creating a booking
Starting a trip
Logging a trip after the fact
A driver who has not accepted yet is shown the charter again at each of these actions, so in practice the vehicle stays out of reach until they agree. As the owner, you are never blocked by your own charter.
Follow who has accepted
A counter shows how many members have accepted, and each member is listed with their acceptance date, or as pending.
Lift the requirement
Turning the charter off removes the acceptance step without deleting a single rule. Turn it back on whenever you want.
Changing the charter later
A charter is meant to move as your circle learns. You can work on it quietly: changes are kept as a private draft that the other members do not see.
Publishing turns the draft into a new version of the charter.
A new version has to be accepted again: when you publish, the acceptance of every driver is reset and each of them is asked to read and accept the new version. That is the point, nobody is bound by a rule they never saw.
What the charter is, and is not
The charter is a tool to help members get organised. It is not a contract signed before a lawyer. In the event of a dispute, members settle it between themselves: Co-oto provides no mediation and cannot be held liable in any way.
Included in every plan
The circle charter is free for everyone, on every plan. See the plans.