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In an unprecedented move anywhere in Quebec, Laval's public transit authority, the Laval Transit Corp., has decided to cut its regular fares starting on Jan. 1. "It will be a substantial reduction and we're very proud of it," STL president Jean-Jacques Beldié said during a recent press conference announcing the move. "In our opinion, it will encourage occasional riders to make more frequent use of public transit," he said. On the heels of the adoption of its budget by Laval city council, the STL announced three measures late last month that it said would promote the use of public transit on its territory.
Per-ticket fares cut
The STL will be cutting its per-ticket fares, it will be offering free transportation for children on weekends and holidays, and it will be reducing its fares by 60 per cent on smog-warning days as a means of protecting the environment. For the first time in its history, the company is reducing its per-ticket fares. However, the cost of monthly STL bus passes remains the same. The STL hopes the reduced fares will lead to more frequent use of public transit. In actual terms, the eight-ticket booklet of tickets will drop from $21 to $18, a reduction of 14 per cent, and the cash fare will be $2.50 (17 per cent less) instead of $3, as it is now.
Improved family rate
The company also plans to improve its family rate policy by offering free travel for a maximum of three children, up to 11 years old, per adult accompanying them and paying for his or her own trip on weekends and holidays. The STL hopes to encourage Laval residents, both parents and children, to try out its improved services with these measures. In an additional move, the STL fare will be only $1 on days when a smog warning has been issued between June 1 and Labour Day.
Special smog rate
Info-Smog is an air quality forecasting and warning program designed to inform residents in the metropolitan area about the quality of the air around them. When a warning of poor air quality is issued at 3 p.m., the STL will implement its fare reduction policy the following day. The company estimates that 1,500 fewer cars per day will travel through the greater metropolitan region because of this measure. They hope to encourage motorists to convert to public transit after having tried it out. The STL hopes that users wanting to take advantage of the smog-reduced fares will consult this web site for air-quality information: http://lavoieverte.qc.ec.gc.ca/atmos/smog.
Keeping the public informed
Pierre Giard, the STL's general manager, said the company is taking elaborate measures to ensure the public is aware when the fare is reduced because a smog-alert has been declared. "If the day before we introduce a fare reduction, Info-Smog issues a warning before 3 p.m. in the afternoon the day before, then we will tell all our drivers to reduce the fare and we will call the media just to make sure that everybody knows the next day there will be a fare reduction," he said. Giard said reduced-fare notices will also be posted on the STL's web site.
Want to boost ridership
Since completion of the extension of the Metro to Laval earlier this year, the STL has introduced a number of incentives for using public transit. It completely revised its bus system and now provides 16 per cent more service on the network, faster travel and more direct routes. It also has new reserved bus lanes and priority traffic lights for buses so that its 60,000 users can benefit from faster travelling times. Asked why the STL has chosen to do all this now, Giard said its all part of a multi-phased campaign to drive up ridership. "We want to increase our ridership by about 25 per cent in the next four years," said Giard, adding that the plan includes reducing fares while increasing services.