Société de transport de Laval awards Taxelco contract to provide shared taxi services

Taxelco and the Société de transport de Laval (STL) have entered into an agreement for Taxelco to operate its 16 shared taxi lines for STL’s on-demand and regular service. 

The two-year agreement came into effect July 1, 2021, and has an option for three additional years. 

A transition period can be expected with this new supplier, but STL notes clients will notice a few changes. Schedules, routes, stops and terms of use will all stay the same. However, locals will notice new vehicles driving around Laval as Taxelco operates under several banners, including Taxi Diamond, Taxi Hochelaga and Téo Taxi. 

Since July 1, shared taxi service users have had to book their ride by calling 30 minutes in advance. 

This contract exclusively covers the STL shared taxi service and not any other transportation service using taxis, such as the paratransit service or particular operational needs in the event of a detour or other reason. 

Shared taxi services are an extension of the STL bus network, providing service to sectors that either cannot be easily accessed by bus, such as highway service roads or industrial sectors, or having a low volume of commuters that does not justify a bus line. This form of on-demand transportation is a good way to test out new routes with the aim of eventually setting up a bus line, which was the case with the STL's Line 36.