Seniors in the Quebec city of Laval will enjoy free
public transit as of May 1.
Mayor Marc Demers announced the new Horizon 65+ measure
for Laval residents 65 years of age and older at the beginning of April.
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| Laval is providing free transit for residents 65 and older. |
Located on Île Jésus, just north of Montreal, Laval is
the 13th largest city in Canada with a population of
more than 400,000. Seniors make up more 15.6 per cent of the population
according to the 2011 Canadian census.
Provision of free transport by the Société de
transport de Laval (STL) dovetails with the city's recent positioning as a Senior Friendly City (Municipalité amie des aînés), stated
Demers.
"We estimate that approximately 2,300 seniors in
Laval currently benefit from reduced fares with the STL,” he said. “In addition
to giving them a little more financial leeway, this measure will also help our
seniors to be more mobile and independent. It's also a step forward in ensuring
equality between individuals and generations."
To ride free seniors need an OPUS electronic
transit card, which will be loaded with a fare that is valid throughout the
entire STL network. The OPUS card costs $15 and is valid for seven years.
"We are doing everything we can to facilitate
access,” said STL general manager Guy Picard. “Seniors will be able to go to
various locations on selected days in April to have their photo taken and to
obtain their cards. Seniors who already have an OPUS card are simply required
to present themselves at one of the specified locations to have their cards
encoded for the free fares."
The measure is expected to cost $600,000 per year.
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