Stop the bus

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by Siobhàn O'Connor

For a few years now there have been whispers of a little-known perk available to women travelling alone by bus at night in Montreal. Something about being able to get off the bus between stops late at night. STCUM spokeswoman Odile Paradis confirmed the rumours: Entre Deux Arrêts, the pilot project whereby any woman travelling alone after 9 p.m. could get off between stops, was officially adopted back in 1997, but has recently "adapted to the seasons." The new policy is that from October-April, women can use the service as of 7:30 p.m.

The service, a joint effort between the STCUM and the Comité d'action femmes et sécurité urbaine (CAFSU), "began as a pilot project in 1996 after we were approached by the CAFSU. They had numbers from Statistics Canada indicating that over two thirds of women feel afraid to travel alone at night. We thought this service could help."

While the STCUM's project is by no means unique--Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver public transit services all have similar policies--their new "winter-friendly" hours set them apart.

Paradis confirmed that in the beginning, bus drivers were unenthusiastic about the service ("They worried it would slow everything down"), but says they are nothing short of supportive now, as long as they are asked at least one stop before they're expected to pull over.