LAVAL, QC, April 1, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - As of the first of May, public transit from the Société de transport de Laval (STL), will be free on Île Jésus for Laval residents 65 years of age and older. The announcement was made today by the new Mayor, Marc Demers, who was happy to announce the implementation of this new measure put forward by the Mouvement Lavallois - the new majority party elected to municipal council during the last elections.
"We estimate that approximately 2,300 seniors in Laval currently benefit from reduced fares with the STL. In addition to giving them a little more financial leeway, this measure will also help our seniors to be more mobile and independent. It's also a step forward in ensuring equality between individuals and generations" says Marc Demers. This measure is also dovetails with the city's recent positioning as a Senior Friendly City (Municipalité amie des aînés - MADA).
Accompanied by David De Cotis, the new President of the STL's Board of Directors and Municipal Councillor and Guy Picard, General manager of the STL, the Mayor of Laval pointed out that the estimated cost of this measure is $600,000 per year and that the amount will be absorbed as a part of the 2014 budget conferred to the STL by the new administration. However, given that the measure will only be implemented in May, the cost for 2014 will only be $400,000.
David De Cotis was also pleased about this commitment made on behalf of the citizens of Laval: "Our public transit service is reliable, punctual and efficient. Seniors will now be able to travel across the island no matter the time or day. We hope that they will come out in great numbers and take advantage of this opportunity which is another demonstration of our common sense approach."
Special programming applied to the OPUS cards will load them with a fare that is valid throughout the entire STL network. Seniors without an OPUS card will be required to purchase one for a fee of $15. Guy Picard added: "We are doing everything we can to facilitate access. Seniors will be able to go to various locations on selected days in April to have their photo taken and to obtain their cards. They can also acquire an OPUS card at any time from the AMT's ticket offices or at the Cartier or Montmorency stations. Seniors who already have an OPUS card are simply required to present themselves at one of the two specified locations to have their cards encoded for the free fares."
The Mayor of Laval is proud of the new Horizon 65 + transit fare and has high hopes that it will contribute to improving quality of life in Laval: "By offering seniors the opportunity to travel anywhere at any time for free, we are encouraging their active mobility and social participation. We are also taking into account the city of Laval's sustainable mobility plan which is closely associated with the STL and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to the transportation in Laval by 50% by the year 2031", he added.
Citizens of Laval who are interested in the obtaining Horizon 65 + OPUS fares simply have to visit the locations designated for this purpose. The OPUS card costs $15 and the STL will encode it with fares that allow senior card holders to travel on STL buses at all times. The card is valid for seven years. After this period, the user will have to request a replacement card.
Photo taking schedule for the Horizon 65 + OPUS card
- Centre Laval: April 8-9-10
- Laval City Hall: April 11 & 12
- Laval libraries
Schedules published in Laval's dailies or visit stl.laval.qc.ca
- AMT ticket offices - Cartier and Montmorency Metro stations
As of May 1st at all times
The STL is taking action
- The STL is responsible for over 20 million trips annually
- The STL has rolled out the STL Synchro system to keep its clients informed in real time about its schedules and buses
- The STL's fare policy is geared to encourage families to use public transit: an adult who pays a regular fare during the week or on statutory holidays can be accompanied by up to five children under the age of 12 for free. This policy is also applicable on smog days between July 1st and Labour Day. The $1 reduced fare on smog days during the summer period is a first in Quebec
- The STL has partnered with the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique and with Communauto
- We use our Facebook and Twitter accounts to share our news and travel notices
- We created My STL to offer our clients the opportunity to receive updates about their regular bus lines and to find out what's new at the STL
- Since the launch of our Operational support and user information system in 2009, we have increased our punctuality rate to nearly 90 %
- The STL has received several awards and distinctions including the AQTR'S Grand prix d'excellence en transport en commun in 2010, which solidified our reputation for excellence
- In 2011, the STL took the AQTR Communication Grand Public prize for its smog alert program
- In May 2012, the STL received the ACTU, le Prix de leadership des entreprises in the Innovation category for the Clic carpooling project
- In May 2012, the STL launched its new STL Sustainable mobility solution for businesses and organizations that are conscious of managing the travels of their employees more efficiently
- In November 2012, the STL signed the International Union of Public Transport's (IUPT) Charter on Sustainable Development
- In March 2013, the STL became the first transportation company in Quebec to be a certified "Healthy Enterprise"!
- In May 2013, the AQTr awarded the STL their Coup de cœur du jury d'honneur award for two projects: The Operational support and user information system for paratransit (OSIS) and CLIC the electric carpooling project launched in conjunction with the AMT
- In June 2013, the CUTA awarded the STL with two Corporate Leadership Awards: one in the Innovation category for our operational support and user information system for paratransit (OSIS) and the other in the Marketing and Communications category for the "Let's Develop Together" contest!
- In November 2013, the STL received the Institut d'administration publique du Québec's Excellence award in the "e-Government" category for its real time operational support and user information system for paratransit
SOURCE: Société de transport de Laval
Marie-Céline Bourgault
Communications and Marketing Director
Société de transport de Laval
450 662 -5429
[email protected]
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