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CREATION OF
LINE 253 - NAVETTE OR SAINT-MICHEL Montreal, September 4, 2008 – Mr. Claude Trudel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), and Mme Anie Samson, Mayor of the Villeray – Saint-Michel – Parc-Extension Borough, today announced to the media the start of a completely new minibus service targeted primarily at seniors living in residences in a sector of this borough. As of yesterday, the new line 253 – Navette Or Saint-Michel has been making travel on public transit in the area easier for seniors. Due to the particular route taken by the shuttle, the service is being provided by a 14-seat minibus, which offers more flexibility than a regular bus. The round-trip route of 26 km includes 29 stops that serve several senior citizens’ residences in the area as well as the principal local points of interest for this clientele. Besides the residences, the minibus route will include, in particular, the CLSC Saint-Michel, Le Boulevard shopping centre, the seniors’ and St-Mathieu community centres as well as the Fleury Hospital. Line 253 – Navette Or Saint-Michel runs on Wednesdays and Fridays between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at approximately 80-minute intervals. The number of the route is displayed on a gold background at the shuttle stops to better highlight this new service. « This new service is excellent news as it increases the mobility of seniors who have difficulty using the regular public transit network in their area, » declared Mr. Claude Trudel. « I would also like to take this opportunity to underline the support received from the AQDR – Section Saint-Michel and Vivre Saint-Michel en santé in the realization of this project. This initiative also forms part of the service improvement programme carried out with the financial support of the Ministère des Transports and the City of Montréal. » « The presence of two quarries that divide a major part of the Saint-Michel sector into two (east-west), and which are bounded by Pie-IX and Saint-Michel Boulevards, make it difficult to travel from one end of the sector to the other. The implementation of this new service will now make it easier for seniors to travel in the area. This project arose from the desire of my administration to improve the quality of life of citizens in the area and to be aware of their needs. I would like to thank the community organizations, in particular the AQDR, the STM, the borough’s public works department and sports, recreation and social development department as well as my colleague, Soraya Martinez, for their involvement in the realization of this project. It is therefore with great pride that we welcome this project, » stated Mme Samson. In order to make people aware of the new line 253 – Navette Or Saint-Michel, folders were distributed in each of the senior citizens’ residences served by this service. In addition, community organizations will promote the service. The boroughs will do the same through visits to the residences by elected officials. 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 schedules at their bus stop. The Web site at www.stm.info also provides access to the schedules and features plenty of other useful information. . – 30 –
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