STM: a program to switch from paratransit to the regular network
At the front, Krystel Larose and Nana-Asiya Bagigah, two students who have completed the Mobility learning program inclusive, as well as the vice-president of the board of directors of the STM, Laurence Parent.
With its new program for customers with functional limitations, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) wishes to encourage them to switch from paratransit to regular buses and the metro.
More than 34,000 people living with motor, intellectual and cognitive limitations, an autism spectrum disorder, a language disorder or a hearing limitation use the STM's paratransit network.
Or , this clientele expresses the desire to travel more spontaneously and this necessarily translates into the use of the regular bus and metro networks which are more and more accessible, affirms the chairman of the board of directors of the STM, Eric Alan Caldwell. . “Our program therefore aims to equip this clientele,” he indicates. & Nbsp;
Indeed, unlike the regular network, adapted transport requires more organization since you have to reserve your place by phone or online a day in advance, explains user Nana-Asiya.
Elle However, she will no longer have to do so since she has taken the STM's new “Inclusive Mobility” learning program.
Since then, the regular STM networks have become a new travel option for Nana-Asiya. “I learned to do my own commute. So I can go where I want when I want. This is really the advantage of using public transport ”, she mentions.
A tailor-made program
The learning program includes an assessment of each client's mobility profile, theoretical group training and individual training.
In addition to classroom training, the clients chosen are supported in the network by guides to help them find their way around, depending on their limitation, specifies the corporate advisor in public affairs, Amélie Régis. “It's very personalized and human. Each client therefore receives a tailor-made program, ”she adds.
In 2021, 60 new clients will be trained, while the goal is to train 150 in 2022 and 325 in 2023. & nbsp;
For clients with motor disabilities, the program lasts 2-3 weeks, while those with learning challenges will need approximately 9-10 weeks.
In 2019, 24 clients had been trained through two pilot projects. Of this number, 60% have become customers of the regular STM network. & Nbsp;
The program valued at $ 175,000 was entirely developed by the STM, but it was made possible thanks to the collaboration of various Montreal partners, including university researchers, the Montreal School Service Center and the CIUSSS du Center-Sud-de-l & rsquo; Île-de-Montreal.
