The STM initiates its own awareness campaign for a clean transit network

Press release


 

The STM initiates its own awareness campaign for
a clean transit network


Montréal, April 20, 2010
As part of the city-wide clean-up operation Montréal.net organized by Ville de Montréal to make the city more beautiful, Société de transport de Montréal (STM) initiated its own awareness campaign this week. Concerned with providing transit users with the cleanest, safest and most pleasant environment possible, STM is holding its own cleanliness campaign throughout its bus and métro network until next May 28.

“The core message in STM’s awareness campaign consists of inviting clients to do their share to keep buses and métro stations clean when they ride with public transit. Efforts by clients added to the efforts by our employees will no doubt help raise the level of cleanliness and safety in all of our network’s installations, and this will be of benefit to everyone,” declared STM Board Chairman, Michel Labrecque.

A targeted campaign
The cleanliness awareness campaign features poster ads aboard buses and inside métro railcars, as well as in the corridors of some stations. Audio messages will be broadcast inside the trains at regular intervals. The STM website (www.stm.info), giant Métrovision tv screens, Alstom-Télécité display screens and STM.INFO page inside Métro newspaper will also serve to spread the word throughout the campaign.

Signs displayed in the bus and métro network will draw attention to concrete actions that go a long way toward keeping public areas clean, such as « Fini de lire? Le journal au recyclage, ça c'est propre! » (“ Finished reading ? Recycling the paper, now that’s clean! ”) and « Fini de manger? L'emballage à la poubelle, ça c'est propre » (“ Finished eating ? Trashing the packaging, now that’s clean “).

Greater on-going effort throughout the transit network
In addition to increasing the usual clean-up activities carried out every day by employees in the STM network, as the end of May gets closer, special attention will be paid to the métro stations located in those boroughs most visited by tourists, namely Ville-Marie, Plateau Mont-Royal and Sud-Ouest. Indeed, this initiative is part of the métro.net project that is currently in its third year.

Moreover, as a special activity for Montréal.net, STM will hold a cleaning blitz of its network bus shelters next April 24 and 25, in cooperation with its commercial partner CBS Outdoor, giving priority to the three tourist boroughs mentioned earlier.

400 transit fares handed out for Ville de Montréal clean-up activity
Citizens taking part in the clean-up activities on April 24 and 25 will have the opportunity to receive one of 200 monthly CAM passes or one of 200 weekly CAM hebdo passes. A dozen radio announcers from Astral Media Group, official partner of Ville de Montréal and STM for the Grande Opération Montréal.net clean-up, will roam the streets over the weekend and hand out the transit fares on behalf of STM.

Committed to improving cleanliness in its installations and aboard its buses, STM wants clients to feel welcome, safe, respected and proud, while reminding clients that they hold an important share of that responsibility. With some 1.2 million rides per weekday and with efforts constantly being deployed to keep installations clean, STM has no choice but to count on the cooperation and willingness of clients to do their share, either by using the recycling bin for their newspaper or the garbage can for their chewing gum. Together, let’s make our city more beautiful and improve the quality of life for all Montrealers, in all public areas including the transit network,” concluded the chairman.

More than 500 STM employees see to cleaning 68 métro stations, their entrance buildings and corridors, 759 métro railcars and tunnels, as well as some 1600 buses and the various building housing transit installations. As for maintaining cleanliness inside the 3000 bus shelters on the island of Montréal, responsibility is shared between STM, the city and CBS Outdoor. Moreover, STM has deployed new recycling bins when it created green zones, as well as new trash bins inside the metro. The STM earmarks more than 30 million dollars each year to cleaning up its entire network, which includes general maintenance and cleaning up graffiti and scrachiti.

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