In Laval - Buses' on-time performance surpasses 92%!

LAVAL, QC, March 22 /CNW Telbec/ - A new record in the history of the Société de transport de Laval (STL): In February, its buses recorded an on-time performance rate of 92.2%!

This is the first time that the index has surpassed the 92% mark, which it often came close to reaching in 2009.

In light of such spectacular results, the STL's business strategy makes full sense: By all ways and means, to ensure that transit users' experience is as pleasant as possible in order to increase ridership and transit users' loyalty, in a spirit of sustainable development.

The enviable results published today are definitely no stranger to last year's rollout of the Vehicle Scheduling Control System (VSCS).

Integrated into the bus drivers' compartment, the VSCS in fact serves a dual purpose: to track vehicles in real time, using GPS technology, and to allow for direct communications with the Control Centre.

With a mere glance at the console, the driver knows whether or not he is on schedule and, insofar as possible, adjusts his speed accordingly.

In this way, all employees give priority to on-time performance and to the accuracy of the timetables that over 60,000 transit users may check and appreciate every day.

With confidence, the STL even offers its famous Quality Guarantee: If a bus is late by at least 5 minutes, the STL promises to refund the transit user for the trip, by sending a free bus fare!

What other public carrier in Canada invests so much to be on time?

The STL, facts and figures

    
    - The STL operates over 20 million runs annually.
    - The overhaul of the bus network, made necessary by the extension of the
      metro to Laval, gave rise to a 28% increase in service, faster trips
      and more direct bus routes.
    - The frequency of buses outside rush hours, on evenings and weekends,
      has doubled on 12 lines since August 2009.
    - The fare policy is particularly designed to encourage families to use
      public transit: All adults paying their fare on weekends and holidays
      may be accompanied, free of charge, by up to five children age 11 and
      under. This policy also applies to every day in the summer, July 1 -
      Labour Day. In addition, the STL's $1 fares on summer smog days are a
      first in Québec.
    - The STL is carrying out a feasibility study for a trolleybus network
      powered by electrical energy.
    - It is financing Éco Mobile à Laval, a major operation of Vélo Québec
      and aimed at promoting alternate solutions to car use.
    - It is also partnering with the Association québécoise de lutte contre
      la pollution atmosphérique, Communauto and The Carpooling Network to
      promote sustainable transportation in Laval.
    - All vehicles on its fleet use biodiesel B5, a fuel that comes from
      recycled oil that isn't made of corn.
    - At the beginning of 2010, the STL launched STL Synchro, an
      unprecedented program providing transit user information in real time,
      by means of display units installed at bus stops and inside buses, with
      the same information available via text messaging and Internet.
    - The STL has its own page on Facebook, where it announces service
      notices, and it is also on Twitter.
    - The STL offers riders the opportunity to register on My STL to receive
      notices on its bus routes that they usually take.
    

For further information: Marie-Céline Bourgault, Director, Communications & Marketing, Société de transport de Laval, [phone], [email protected]