‘The STL is not a for-profit business,’ says Councillor David De Cotis
Action Laval city councillor for Saint-Bruno David De Cotis tabled a motion during the January council meeting, asking the Société de transport de Laval to reinstate a special bus service for senior citizens which was terminated last year.
Permanent service cuts
The STL announced in 2024 that starting last June 22, a special bus service to seniors’ residences would be suspended “until further notice” and that “clients can use our regular bus network to commute around Laval.”
“The decision to cut this service is entirely based on the reasoning that it has to be feasible, but the STL is not a for-profit business – it’s a public service,” said De Cotis, who was once chairman of the STL board of directors. “A public service must also answer to community, social and human needs.”
Not quite as planned
As De Cotis sees it, the STL’s shuttle service for seniors, many of whom can be considered vulnerable, offered a rare opportunity for shut-ins to be able to get out and break free of their isolation.
Mayor Stéphane Boyer had initially expected that a new $100 charge added to provincial car registration fees would help pay for the STL’s additional expenses, although things didn’t work out that way.
“Today, we find that we are paying more for our registrations, but we are getting fewer services,” said De Cotis. “It’s a perfect picture of the break that exists between what we pay and the services that we receive from the city since this administration is in place.”
