Launch of STL Synchro - In Laval, bus schedules in real time!

LAVAL, QC, Feb. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - Today marks the launch of the electronic display units that the Société de transport de Laval (STL) has installed at the 80 busiest stops on its network.

This large-scale roll-out--unprecedented in all of Canada--is the first phase of an ambitious customer information program that has been named STL Synchro.

By means of the data sent by the GPS (global positioning systems) with which all STL vehicles are equipped, these new display units indicate, in real time, in how many minutes the next two buses will pass by the stop. This information is updated an average of every 20 seconds, based on the exact position of the 235 STL buses.

This real-time display unit project is a first in Greater Montréal and no other public transit system in Canada has as many of them.

Alphanumeric, the display units make it possible to announce messages of interest in order to alert transit users of a detour due to roadwork, for example, or to explain a delay or remind riders of the applicable bus schedule on a holiday.

Internet users may also benefit from the advantages of STL Synchro for all the 2580 stops on the STL's network: All they need to do is register on the STL's site and indicate which stops they use most often: From that time on, the STL's Home page (at WWW.STL.LAVAL.QC.CA) will automatically provide them with the schedule for the next three times that the buses will pass by their stops on the bus routes they have selected. In addition, the user will be able to view the progress of each bus along its route: The position of the vehicle will be updated every 20 seconds on a dynamic map of Laval. This service is available starting now.

Smartphone users may download the application and sign up to receive alerts, notices and detours. An iPhone application is now available, free of charge. Later on in the spring of 2010, they will be offered a text messaging system.

At the same time, other display units--this time aboard the buses--will be activated as well: They will announce the upcoming stop and the transfer options.

An explanatory multimedia document is available at www.stl.laval.qc.ca.

The STL Synchro program costs a total of $4 million . A grant corresponding to 75% of this amount has been paid by Ministère des Transports du Québec.

    

    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.
    

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