The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is providing an accessible minibus for people with reduced mobility and will conduct maintenance for its entire service life as part of a new agreement.
The minibus will allow the Old Brewery Mission (OBM) to provide transportation to the vulnerable population it serves.
The new, smaller vehicle has a distinctive visual identity and is being offered as a replacement for the Solidaribus, which was initially loaned in 2020. The minibus will give the OBM greater flexibility in delivering a specialized shuttle service to people experiencing homelessness by transporting them to emergency shelters and other resources.
As with the Solidaribus, the city of Montréal will cover the driver’s and psychosocial workers’ salaries, as well as gas.
The new minibus will travel the downtown streets seven days a week, from 4:00 p.m. to midnight, with an OBM responder on board. This will make it easier for many people to travel safely each night when in need of shelter, support services or a place to rest off the street.
The service will be supplemented by another vehicle, which the OBM has been using for several years during high-traffic periods and which will now be easier to spot with the same look as the new minibus.
