Improved information tools
STM.INFO AND AUTOBUS : two numbers to remember!

Montreal, November 12, 2003 –  The Société de transport de Montréal has implemented a new generation of information tools to keep its clientele better informed and to facilitate their trip planning. In fact, as of this past Monday, clients could call a single number STM.INFO (786-4636) to reach the STM. TelBUS, for its part, has been replaced by a more efficient system, which has been assigned the well-recognized AUTOBUS number (288-6287). In the words of Mr. Claude Dauphin, chairman of the board of directors, "clients now have only two easy numbers to remember. As we have doubled our call-taking capability, they can access our lines more quickly and can obtain additional information on our services in both English and French."

More information with STM.INFO
Thus, for general information on the STM, clients should call STM.INFO
(786-4636). A menu gives them seven options: schedules (automatic transfer to AUTOBUS), métro, fares, Paratransit and the co-ordinates for other transportation organizations in the metropolitan area. There are still two options available to speak with a customer service employee : option 4 for comments, lost and found, or general information; and option 7 to obtain a route.

More efficient and as simple as before
To access information on the bus schedules at various stops on the network or to find out if buses are accessible to people in wheelchairs, clients should call AUTOBUS (288-6287). The 15 000 TelBUS telephone numbers posted on the 8 600 bus stop panels will disappear in six months to be replaced by the AUTOBUS number. Each stop will display a 5-digit code that will have to be entered on the telephone keypad to obtain the schedules at this stop. At present, a client who calls a TelBUS number is automatically re-directed to the new AUTOBUS service, which guides the customer through the process and provides the appropriate bus stop code. The bus stop code can also be found on the STM's Internet site (www.stm.info) by selecting the intersection and the direction of travel.

A transition period
Even though the new services are as simple to use as the old ones, the STM has anticipated a one-year transition period. Thus, for the next nine months, clients will be able to continue to dial the old numbers, and the systems will re-direct them  to the new ones . From September 2004 to November 2004, the systems will continue to provide the new numbers without, however, transferring the calls. It should also be pointed out that the few people who do not have a touch-tone telephone will be transferred to an employee who will respond directly to their questions.

Necessary changes
The TelBUS system did not make the transition to the year 2000 and has been optimized to its full extent. It responded to some 50 000 calls on average per day and had already set a record of 62 000 calls. Pushed to the limits, it had become fragile and could have given out at any time. As an interruption in service would have had a huge impact, it became imperative to replace it with a more up-to-date and efficient technology.

Partners in change
The installation of these new platforms is one of the largest that Bell and CISCO have carried out using Internet Protocol automated telephony. "Thanks to these technologies, once customers have adapted to the new AUTOBUS number, we will be in a position to respond to a greater number of calls, and in 90 % of cases, customers will obtain a response on their first attempt. In addition to providing obvious benefits to customers in terms of speed and information quality, these systems will be more flexible, more efficient and less costly to maintain", concluded Mr. Dauphin.

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