As a responsible corporate citizen, the Société de transport de Laval doesn’t want to be content with standing back and watching the situation as a bystander. On the contrary, it is putting a lot of effort into actively fighting against air pollution. No empty words, but rather firm commitments and direct actions!

You’re concerned about the quality of the environment? We are just as much and we’re making our contribution toward preserving it. Between June 1 and Labour Day, when Environment Canada issues a smog warning, at 4 p.m.  the day before the smog day, the STL will therefore be offering you a chance to go anywhere on its bus network for only $1, instead of $2.80.

By offering Laval residents a special incentive public transit fare, the STL hopes to concretely contribute toward improving the air quality and prompting more people to use public transit. We’re ready to take up the challenge. Are you?

How does the STL decide whether it is a Smog Alert day?

The STL leaves it up to Info-Smog specialists, who determine the air quality forecasts on a daily basis, according to specific criteria. Their assessment scale consists of three levels of air quality:

• Good
• Acceptable
• Poor

If they forecast that the air quality will be poor for the next day(s), they issue a smog warning.

And it is at the time of such warnings that the STL reaches the decision to offer a special $1 fare per trip throughout its bus network, rather than its regular $2.80 cash fare. Don’t forget that you must pay cash to take advantage of this special price.

Managed by Environment Canada, Info-Smog calls upon a number of partners, including the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs du Québec, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec and Ville de Montréal.

It wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of the STL’s special $1 deal on Smog Alert days. After all, a savings of over 60% is no ordinary occurrence!

To be able to make the most of this offer, it’s important to know where to get your information. Starting at 4 p.m., as soon as the STL receives a “Smog Alert” warning, we get the public information process under way:

• In metropolitan media
  • Major newspapers
  • Free newspapers
  • Radio stations
  • General interest TV channels
  • Specialized Météo Média / The Weather Network channel
• On road signs on the autoroutes crossing through Laval
• On posters at terminuses
• On signs posted in our buses
• On the STL’s website
• On our telephone service
• On our Synchro displays outside
• On our Synchro displays inside the buses
• On Facebook and Twitter
• By SMS

Over the years, we have learned to live with a new environmental enemy called “smog”. This insidious pollution hasn’t stopped increasing over recent years, to the point where it has become a plague that must be conquered. Smog has also become a public health problem, and especially among young children and seniors.

When smog is in the air, it often triggers problems with people’s respiratory system and also causes irritations and asthma attacks. At high concentrations of smog, cardio-respiratory diseases may be aggravated and people may even die prematurely as a result. This is particularly the case in Greater Montréal, where a growing number of people are affected and where the number of deaths due to smog is on the rise.

In certain particular weather conditions, the lowest atmospheric layers act like a blanket. The pollutants from various sources are caught inside and therefore remain near the ground, contributing, in this way, to the deterioration of the air quality.

Without entering into overly scientific explanations, let’s say that smog is mainly caused by two atmospheric pollutants—ozone and fine particles, which are very pernicious in combination. In fact, it is the fine particles that give the smog a yellowish haze that veils the sun and the daylight on days when the air quality is poor.

Since transportation is the main source of air pollutant emissions that cause smog, it is recommended that public transit be used and that preference be given to carpooling, walking or cycling.

We are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that pollution is not solely caused by major polluters but that we all have a responsibility in this state of affairs. Every little action we take, combined with other similar actions, can contribute toward “cleaning up our act”.

Changing our driving habits, driving with a vehicle that is always well maintained, taking public transit, travelling by bicycle, carpooling—all these steps make a difference and help reduce smog.

To find out more about all the possible ways of reducing smog, we encourage you to consult the following websites:

• Environment Canada offers lots of interesting advice to help us contribute toward fighting pollution. (http://lavoieverte.qc.ec.gc.ca/atmos/smog)
• Environment Canada offers Clean Air Online. (http://www.ec.qc.ca/cleanair-airpur)
• Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs (http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/air/iqa/index_en.htm)
• Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (in French) (http://www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/sujets/santepub/environnementale.html)
• Ville de Montréal, Réseau de surveillance de la qualité de l’air (in French) (http://www.rsqa.qc.ca)