Service will be offered every five minutes, Monday to Friday, from 7:15 to 7:50 a.m., from 11:15 to 11: 50 a.m., and from 4:30 to 5 p.m. A

New public taxi service in Saint-Laurent Borough

Montreal, 12 May 2004 – In order to improve public transit service in Saint-Laurent, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) will introduce a new public taxi service next May 17, providing a link between Place Vertu and the Aldo shoe manufacturing plant located on Poirier Boulevard.

Service will be offered every five minutes, Monday to Friday, from 7:15 to 7:50 a.m., from 11:15 to 11: 50 a.m., and from 4:30 to 5 p.m. Additional service will also be provided Sunday to Thursday evenings, between 10:15 and 10:45 p.m. There is no need to call ahead to reserve a seat: transit users can simply show up at the public taxi stop where specially-marked taxi cabs will take them to the Aldo distribution centre on Poirier Boulevard or, conversely, to Place Vertu. Users of this service must show the taxi driver a valid fare, such as a CAM (STM) or TRAM (AMT) monthly pass, an STM ticket or valid bus transfer. Cash fares will not be accepted.

Alan DeSousa, mayor of Saint-Laurent borough, city councillor and executive committee member, was very much in favour of this new service: « For some time now, our borough has been working on ways to improve public transit services for Aldo distribution centre employees. This new public taxi service represents quite an improvement for these workers, providing them with a convenient schedule and easy access to Place Vertu, where they can connect with the 121, 196 and 213 bus routes. » Moreover, the taxi service will enable the STM to evaluate the ridership potential in that sector prior to implementing a regular bus service.

The STM also provides public taxi services between Lachine’s industrial park and Dorval train station, between the sector of Lachine located west of 32nd Avenue and Lachine train station, in Île-Bizard, Senneville and in the Sainte-Marie sector of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.