A new minibus sercice for seniors

Press release


 

CREATION OF LINE 254 - NAVETTE OR ROSEMONT
A new minibus sercice for seniors

Montreal, September 4, 2008Messrs. Claude Trudel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), and Andr� Lavallée, Mayor of the Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie Borough and member of the executive council of the City of Montr�al, today announced to the media the start of a completely new minibus service dedicated to seniors living in residences in the borough. The new line 254 – Navette Or Rosemont will make public transit trips in the area easier for seniors as of this week.

Due to the particular route taken by the shuttle, the service is being provided by two 14-seat minibuses, which offer more flexibility than a regular bus. The circular 21-km route includes 32 stops serving several senior citizens’ residences in the area as well as the principal local points of interest. These include, in particular, the Botanical Garden, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the Viau métro, the C�gep de Maisonneuve, Le Boulevard shopping centre and Masson Street, where several businesses and services are located.

The minibuses on line 254 – Navette Or Rosemont will run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The average frequency is approximately 65 minutes given that the two vehicles follow one another at 15-minute intervals. The number of the route is displayed on a gold background at the shuttle stops to better highlight this new service.

«This initiative clearly demonstrates our desire to contribute to the quality of life in the borough and is part of the service improvement programme carried out with the financial support of the ministère des Transports and the City of Montréal, » declared Mr. Claude Trudel. « In fact, line 254 – Navette Or Rosemont was created expressly to respond to the specific needs of these individuals to facilitate travel in their area. This project came to fruition thanks to the collaboration of the local community. »

For his part, the mayor of the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie Borough, Andr� Lavallée, was delighted with the realization of this new project that responds to the needs expressed by Rosemont seniors. « The introduction of this new service is excellent news, as it enables seniors to travel more easily and safely in the borough to visit health, recreational and other facilities. This shuttle will enable seniors to limit the distance they have to walk from their residence and provide them with more available seats on the bus. »

In order to make people more aware of the new line 254 – Navette Or Rosemont, flyers were distributed in each of the senior citizens’ residences in Rosemont. In addition, community organizations will promote the service. Elected borough officials have met with numerous citizens through visits to the residences. Finally, posters will be installed in locations frequented by seniors and on the shuttle route. For more information, transit users can call STM-INFO (786-4636). They can also call A-U-T-O-B-U-S (288-6287) to obtain the schedule at their bus stop. The STM’s Web site at www.stm.info also contains plenty of other useful information.

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