Press release

Line 148 – Métrobus Maurice-Duplessis
An undeniable success

Montreal, 18 February 2003 – In March 2002, the Société de transport de Montréal provided residents of Rivière-des-Prairies with a rapid link to the Radisson métro station and downtown via bus line 148 – Métrobus Maurice-
Duplessis. This service enables passengers to save approximately 10 minutes on each trip.

Nearly a year after its inauguration, this line is an undeniable success. In fact, from the start, this service carried an average of 1,300 passengers daily, with the number increasing to 1,430 this past November. A survey of customers reveals that almost 7 % are new users of public transit. The great majority (94%) say they are satisfied with this new service. "Very satisfied. Better than taking the car" commented one client. " It’s very fast. It saves me time as I now have only one bus to take instead of three " mentioned another.

In the morning, the vehicles travel to the Radisson station from the intersection of Maurice-Duplessis Boulevard and 71^st Street, taking Maurice-Duplessis and then Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine ( Autoroute 25 ). Eighteen departures are offered in the morning between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and nineteen in the afternoon, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., in the reverse direction from the Radisson station. At the start, the service was offered until 6:00 p.m. in the evening, but given its popularity and to better respond to the needs of customers, the STM extended the schedule by a half-hour.

Mr. Cosmo Maciocia, chairman of the Rivière-des-Prairies/Pointe-aux-Trembles/
Montreal East borough, who campaigned for this service, is very satisfied with the results. "By creating this rapid link to the métro and downtown, the STM has enhanced and improved the offer of service in this developing sector of the island. It’s a great success story : ridership on the line has increased, the level of satisfaction is excellent and the STM has discovered new clients"

The line 148 – Métrobus Maurice-Duplessis is, without doubt, an attractive alternative to the car for residents of Rivière-des-Prairies travelling downtown.

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