Latest news on paratransit service

New agreement with the Société de transport de Laval (STL)

The STL and the STM are now working together to provide paratransit service for Laval residents.

Starting January 1, 2026, the STM will handle the following on behalf of the STL:

  • Managing reservation requests and trip dispatching
  • Managing service providers and contractual agreements
  • Maintaining service quality
  • Planning, optimizing and providing paratransit service

The STL will remain responsible for:

  • Processing applications for paratransit service within its territory
  • Providing customer service and managing customer files
  • Responding to questions, complaints or feedback after a trip

The same commitment to service

Rest assured—this agreement will not affect the quality of our services. Trips with us continue as usual. All booking requests from our customers will be honoured, regardless of the reason for the trip or the location.

New adapted vehicles

Our new accessible vans will officially hit the road in 2026, though you may have already ridden one, as some are already part of our network. These vehicles were carefully selected to optimize accessibility, comfort and safety.

The criteria that have been defined mainly include:

  • Improved suspension
  • Improved air conditioning
  • Improved soundproofing
  • Sufficient space to accommodate the largest mobility scooter covered by RAMQ
  • Special safety considerations for people of short stature or with precarious balance
  • Positioning of guide dogs near their owners.

The process for selecting the type of vehicle that would meet these criteria was established in collaboration with the users concerned as well as paratransit associations, namely the Regroupement des usagers du transport adapté (RUTA) and Ex Aequo.

Appropriate training and rigorous quality control

In addition, we made the development of driver training for these new vehicles a priority.

  • Drivers will receive training equivalent to what is currently being provided.
  • The training has been specifically developed by and for persons with disabilities, in conjunction with related associations.
  • The drivers will also be carefully selected by the STM from among those already working for suppliers.
  • Customer representatives will be able to exchange and monitor the performance indicators of this change within the User-Carrier Committee, which meets regularly.

There will be no changes to existing service.

Our answers to your questions

Actually, external partners are already responsible for 90% of paratransit trips. With the current agreement, the remaining 10% of paratransit trips—those made using minibuses—will be transferred to external partners as well. That way, we’ll be using the same system for all our paratransit services. 

No. Paratransit services will not be discontinued in any way.

No. No changes to the fares are planned in this context.

Yes. Training for the drivers of the new vehicles is a priority for us.

  • Drivers will receive training equivalent to what is currently being provided.
  • The training has been specifically developed by and for persons with disabilities, in conjunction with related associations.
  • The drivers will also be carefully selected by the STM from among those already working for suppliers.
  • Customer representatives will be able to exchange and monitor the performance indicators of this change within the User-Carrier Committee, which meets regularly.

As per their current collective agreements, no STM employees will be laid off as a result of this initiative. Our teams are deeply committed to their work as paratransit service providers and show a great deal of care towards their customers. This initiative does not call that care or commitment into question. It is simply about finding the best business model for our paratransit services.

Our customer service remains available to answer your questions and concerns at 514 280-8211.

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