Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu presents ZenBus, a first in North America!

SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU, QC, Nov. 15, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is proud to introduce ZenBus, a brand new passenger information system that uses geolocation services in real time.

For the very first time in North America, this innovative technology is being launched as part of a pilot project on the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu city bus network thanks to the collaboration of the Transdev company.

User-friendly and intuitive, ZenBus is a free application that you can download to your tablet or smartphone through the App Store and Google Play. Users can also access ZenBus from a computer by visiting www.zenbus.net/saint-jean. The principle of the application is simple: a smartphone is placed in each city bus, providing its geolocation as it moves. As a result, users can track the bus on their mobile devices, seeing its location on a map in real time, thus allowing them to better plan their trips.

Namely, ZenBus makes it possible to:

• Know when a bus is scheduled to arrive at a stop;
• Locate every stop along all five urban network lines;
• Get information on the state of the network, promotions and more, thanks to a messaging service;
• Collect valuable mobility data to manage the fleet of buses and provide customer service, including routes, scheduled stops, etc.

"A component of the Smart Cities initiative, ZenBus is a creative tool that is both affordable and easy to implement, especially compared to the cost of 'traditional' systems. The addition of this technology is yet another action to enhance our public transportation network. We are thrilled to contribute to the introduction of a new application in North America, which is making its debut in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu!" declared the mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Michel Fecteau.

"At Transdev, we are always looking to harness the best technological solutions to simplify the lives of the people that travel with us daily. We are extremely happy to be working with the City to introduce ZenBus, an innovation that will allow users to better plan their trips, autonomously and in real time," added Dominique Lemay, CEO of Transdev Canada.

Already used on more than 150 public transportation lines in France (urban, regional, school, and private company shuttle settings), ZenBus was developed by JOUL, a French company that specializes in geolocation in the mobility sector. To learn more, please visit www.sjsr.ca/zenbus.

SOURCE VILLE DE ST-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU

Source: Isabelle Laflamme, Communications and Consulting Division; Information: Luc Côté, Director, Urban Transportation and Mobility Services, 450-359-2010 #2068, cell. 514 208-2443