STO renews deal with Transcollines transportation service
On December 12, 2019, the STO announced the renewal of its partnership with the Pontiac-wide Trancollines bus service.
This deal allows for a fully integrated service, a single ticketing system with a combined pricing which will allow continued access to STO and OC Transpo network services, including Ottawa’s light rail service.
It’s important to note that this service is only available to those who have purchased one of three existing “Transcollines Combiné monthly passes”. This is the only type of subscription accepted on the STO and OC Transpo network. STO users wishing to travel on the Transcollines network will also have to purchase a Transcollines Combined subscription.
All-door boarding project
On the same day that the STO announced its renewed partnership with the Transcollines, its board of directors also approved a contract for the purchase of 500 validators that are being installed on the doors of each of its buses.
The objective of this project is to enable boarding from all bus doors, saving time at the most crowded bus stops throughout the day. For over a year, ridership has been growing in city buses, making this method used by many major public transportation companies, including Ottawa and Montreal, increasingly useful for Gatineau.
“If we rely on the experience of different transport companies which already offer boarding by all doors,” said STO President Myriam Nadeau, “this option will allow us to reduce boarding times, improve punctuality and have a better distribution of customers on board, all of which will improve customer experience. The primary goal of the 2017–2026 STO Strategic Plan is to put the customer at the heart of our decisions and our actions and this project is another initiative that goes in that direction.”
The STO took advantage of this project to evaluate existing technologies and acquire the most recent validator template that includes very interesting features for potential developments in ticketing. The validators must be delivered in 2020 and their installation done shortly after.
