Montréal, December 16, 1996 - In view of its successful six-month trial run, the STCUM is happy to advise its female ridership that the Entre

Its Concern for Women's Safety in the City Leads the STCUM to Make it's Between Two Stops Service Permanent

Montréal, December 16, 1996 - In view of its successful six-month trial run, the STCUM is happy to advise its female ridership that the Entre deux arrêts (Between Two Stops) project is now a permanent service. Thus, women travelling alone after 9:00 p.m. can ask the bus driver to be let off between two stops of a regular route at a location they judge to be safer. It will however be up to the driver to decide if the vehicle can safely come to a stop there.

Since women represent about 60% of its customers and that, according to Statistics Canada and Gallup, two women in three are afraid to go out alone at night, the STCUM had accepted the invitation of the CAFSU - Comité d'action femmes et sécurité urbaine (the Women's Action and Urban Safety Committee) - to set up this trial project whose goal was to increase women's safety as well as their feeling of being safe. Before making it a permanent fixture however, it needed to gauge the interest of its customers for such a service and make sure it was answering the concerns of its operations personnel. It quickly came to the conclusion that this service should be maintained.

According to the results of a survey it conducted last October, 89% of the persons interviewed (91% female - 89% male ratio) commented that this service should be made available on a permanent basis and 67% of respondents mentioned the safety factor. Furthermore, the trial run served to highlight the professionalism of the drivers who, for the most part, were already letting female commuters off between two stops at their request.

It is with great pleasure that CAFSU members greeted this decision, the result of concerted efforts by women's groups, community organisations and the public institutions that they represent.

Lastly, posters explaining the Entre deux arrêts service will be put up inside the 1,300 or so buses of the STCUM in January 1997.

For additional information, customers should dial (514) 280-5100.