My Alerts Montréal, February 20, 2012 – On March 5, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is introducing a new on call shared taxi service, known as Taxi Or, to enhance public transit services for seniors.
Service will be available from Monday to Friday, off-peak hours, between 9 a.m. and 3 :30 p.m. specifically. The itinerary will include some forty stops with service running every 60 minutes on an on call basis. Departures from private residences will take place every hour on the hour (9 a.m., 10 a.m.) and return trips from various points of interest will occur every half hour (9 :30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.). Among the various stops included are main residential buildings, Place du Commerce, Elgar Community Centre and La Station – an intergenerational centre recently inaugurated.
To benefit from this service, customers must register with the shared taxi reservations service 72 hours before the first planned trip by calling the following number: 514 280-9055. Reservations for same day travel must be made at least 40 minutes ahead of time with the STM. When boarding taxis, customers must present their OPUS photo ID card showing their eligibility to benefit from STM reduced fares (for persons 65 years and over). Cash fares and tickets on magnetic cards are also accepted.
‘This pilot project seeks to respond to the needs expressed by many seniors living in the area by providing better local public transit access. Indeed, shared taxi service is the evident choice in comparison to bus or minibus service especially when the area covered is limited with a defined number of stops,’’ declared Mr. Labrecque, Chairman of the STM Board of directors. ‘Funded in equal measure by the Quebec’s Transport Ministry and the Agglomeration council of Montréal in connection with public transit’s Service Improvement Program (PASTEC), this new venture is the culmination of joint efforts between STM and elected officials in Verdun Borough’.
‘Implementation of shared taxi service will greatly improve local travel for seniors within Nuns’ Island, whether to visit local merchants or to attend community activities’’, mentioned Mr. Claude Trudel, Verdun Borough mayor and responsible for public safety and security on the city of Montréal’s executive committee. He also emphasized that he is ‘’convinced that this pilot project will soon become popular among this target group’.
Information regarding this new service is also available on the website (www.stm.info), under public taxi.
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