Montreal, January 16, 2008 - Mr. Claude Trudel, Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), and
Mr. Benoît Robert, Chief Executive Officer of Communauto, announced today
an initial agreement that will enable Montrealers to take advantage of a
new mobility offer called DUO auto+bus, combining public transport
and serve-serve vehicles.
Clients who agree to
purchase 12 consecutive monthly STM passes will be allowed to use
Communauto’s vehicles by adding only $5 to the regular price of their pass,
at either the regular or reduced fare, without having to pay the $535
subscription fee that Communauto usually charges.
Thanks to this
agreement, which will be presented to the public at the upcoming Montreal
International Auto Show, DUO auto+bus subscribers will gain access
to a network of some 190 bus lines, 68 metro stations and 700 vehicles
located in Communauto’s 250 parking stations.
"We are proud of our
association with Communauto," declared Mr. Trudel. "This partnership
underlines the STM’s commitment toward sustainable development and its
desire to add initiatives of this sort - be it in terms of environmental
protection or promoting the use of public transport - to the actions it
undertakes on a daily basis. Indeed, the car sharing formula is a good
complement to public transport, as it meets the mobility needs of our
clients while contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions."
The results of
agreements that Communauto has previously established with other public
transport companies in Quebec indicate that DUO auto+bus is an
excellent way for these companies to develop client loyalty by giving
their clients an added reason to buy monthly passes year-round," added Mr.
Robert, CEO of Communauto.
Many studies have
demonstrated that the use of self-serve vehicles, as a complement to
public transport and active means of transportation, represents one of the
best ways of reducing the number of cars in circulation and limiting the
use of the automobile. In 77% of cases, after subscribing to Communauto,
car sharing users in Quebec either decided against buying a vehicle or
sold of one of their cars. Furthermore, the cost of using self-serve
vehicles and the need to reserve a car before using it lead to a more
rational use of automobiles.
For these reasons, and
because of its numerous positive impacts on the environment, DUO
auto+bus was awarded, in April of last year, the Collective Transport prize by the Association Québécoise des Transports et des Routes (AQTR).
The STM, in
collaboration with Communauto and Équiterre, will be present at the
Montreal International Auto Show, held at the Palais des Congr�s de
Montréal from January 18 to 27, 2008. At the event, STM representatives
will provide information on he basic principles of their bus driver
training program, which focuses on eco-friendly driving, and on the
benefits that this method of preventive driving has for all drivers. In
addition, Communauto representatives will promote DUO auto+bus,
offered in association with the STM. Visitors to the Auto Show can also
take part in a contest for a chance to win one of four DUO auto+bus
packages.
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