By Rhonda Massad
www.thesuburban.com
On March 25, 2014, Laval’s transit authority, Société de transport de Laval (STL) renewed its dedication to sustainable transit for the city of Laval for the coming decade. The plan reflects two main goals—to increase ridership by 40 percent and a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre travelled. The plan was accepted by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) last June and by the city of Laval in August.
“We will create reserved bus lanes that will make public transit more efficient,” said STL spokeswoman Marie-Céline Bourgault.
In order to make public transit a competitive alternative to traveling by car, preferential measures are imperative, she explained.
“Transport Quebec will fund a good portion of the initiative,” said Bourgault, “which means that we will be implementing the plan faster.”
The current fare policy is designed to encourage families to use public transit: an adult who pays a regular fare on weekends and holidays may be accompanied by up to five children up to 11 years of age at no extra charge. This policy also applies to summer day-fares from July 1 to Labour Day. STL’s new one-dollar fare during summer smog alert days is the first initiative of its kind in Quebec.
The STL now posts news and announcing service notices on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. STL offers transit users the opportunity to receive notices about their favorite bus routes and find out what’s new at STL by signing up for My STL.
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