In the Outaouais region, paratransit service is provided by the Société de Transport de l’Outaouais (STO). The paratransit service territory includes the town of Gatineau and the municipalities of Cantley and Chelsea. Users must be permanent residents of this territory to have access to the service. To be eligible for transportation, candidates must complete the three-part application form (please click here to view the form). The first part is filled out by the user; the remaining two parts must be completed by a health care professional. Once the form has been completed, it must be submitted to the eligibility committee at the following address:
Service de transport adapté
Société de transport de l’Outaouais
111, rue Jean-Proulx
Gatineau (Québec) J8Z 1T4
To reserve transportation, users must either communicate with the customer service office at (819) 773-2222 or visit the STO website. Three types of transportation are identified and the reservation process is established according to these types.
1- The regular commute type is defined as the itinerary regularly followed by the user, for a minimum period of three months, i.e. at least once a week, at fixed times and at the same pick-up and drop-off points. Once the regular commute times have been confirmed, users no longer have to phone the STO, except if they need to notify the STO of a cancellation or change. In the case of a change, the request must be made at the latest by 12 p.m. on the day before the scheduled transportation. On holidays, the regular commute is automatically cancelled unless the user is otherwise notified.
2- The occasional commute type meets users’ occasional transportation needs for which telephone requests must be placed every time. To do so, reservations must be made two weeks in advance or at 12 p.m. the day before the scheduled outing.
3- The last minute commute answers unforeseen transportation needs. Users must make use of the times available, as need be. Service hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., seven days a week.
Users must inform the STO of any change regarding their transportation, on the day before or as early as 6 a.m. on the morning of the scheduled pick-up. Users will need to accommodate themselves to the service times available on that day. In the case of a cancellation, users must inform the dispatcher as soon as possible by calling (819) 773-2222 (people who are deaf, hard of hearing or suffer from a speech disorder can use Bell Relay Service at 1-800-855-0511)[1]. Users who omit to report a cancellation to the STO may be subject to penalties such as paying a fee or temporary suspension of the user’s access to paratransit.
Authorized types of accompaniment are as follows:
– Compulsory accompaniment (for cases requiring medical assistance during transportation);
– Optional accompaniment (for cases where accompaniment is not compulsory, but where attendants can assist users with motor or organic disabilities);
– Accompaniment due to parental responsibilities.
Of the different types of accompaniment described above, only attendants traveling under the optional accompaniment category must pay transportation fare). In addition, users may not be accompanied on paratransit service if attendants can compensate for the challenges of regular public transportation). Furthermore, users with three-wheel or four-wheel mobility scooters may not be accompanied.
The STO has put in place complementary measures for people with visual impairments who can obtain a privilege accompaniment card allowing their personal attendants free access to buses. The only animals allowed to board paratransit vehicles are guide dogs and service dogs. To obtain permission for these dogs to board vehicles, users must, ahead of time, send an attestation to the STO proving that their dog has been trained by a recognized training school in Québec or elsewhere; and that the training includes a section relating to transport situations. Users may also obtain a bus hailer to help them inform the drivers of the desired bus route or stop. This bus hailer kit is available at the Customer Service office and can be ordered by calling (819) 770-3242.
The fare for STO paratransit is the same as for regular transportation. An interzone fare, however, applies for users coming from the Masson-Angers and Buckingham zones or crossing the Gatineau River. Such fare is established according to the following criteria:
ü A monthly student subscription is available to full-time students aged 20 or under. It consists of a personalized pass renewable by October 1st of each year;
ü A semi-annual subscription, Forfait Cam-Puce, is offered to full-time students aged 21 or over;
ü The semi-annual subscription Forfait Cam-Puce UQO is offered to students attending the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) enrolled in a full-time studies;
ü The semi-annual subscription Forfait Cam-Puce CEGEP is offered exclusively to users attending CEGEP de l’Outaouais on a full-time basis.
To obtain the personalized identification card supporting the passes, applicants must present themselves at one of the STO customer service points with the appropriate supporting documents and follow the necessary steps (Click here for the list of STO customer service points). The fee of the card is $8 including taxes. The supporting documents required to apply for the card are:
- Proof of residency in Québec (Québec Health Insurance – RAMQ – card or driver’s licence);
- Proof of age (21 or under as of September 1st, each year the card is issued) : RAMQ card or driver’s licence;
- Proof of full-time enrolment in an educational institution recognized by the Ministère de l’Éducation, des Loisirs et du Sport (MELS) du Québec[2].
Once a chip card has been issued, the user is ready to enjoy STO transportation on the itinerary of his/her choice.
In addition to the STO, other paratransit companies are:
- BMA Soucy Taxi (secteur Buckingham)
384, avenue de Buckingham
Gatineau (Québec) J8L 2G7
(819) 986-3332 - Taxi Renaud inc. (les collines-de-l’outaouais)
93, rue Principale Est
La Pêche (Québec) J0X 2W0 - Transport adapté et collectif des collines
5 principale ouest, C.P 70
la pêche (Québec) J0X 2W0
(819) 456-1114
866-310-1114 SANS FRAIS - Corporation du transport adapté de la Petite Nation
10, rue Saint-André, local D-225, CP 605
St-André-Avellin (Québec) J0V 1W0
(819) 983-6855 - Corporation du transport adapté de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau
317, rue Wilfrid Leblanc
Maniwaki (Québec) J9E 1X7
(819) 449-7666