A Montreal couple preparing to vacation say they are victims of discrimination at the hands of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
Sarah Limoges-Godin and her partner, both in wheelchairs, have to leave the bus station at 7 a.m. tomorrow for a week-long stay in New York.
You are requested to arrive at the station one hour in advance to receive priority boarding. However, STM paratransit service begins at the time of their departure to the American city.
The couple therefore decided to rent a hotel room near the train station in order to be there on time.
To make matters worse, the STM refused to provide them with customized transportation from home to the hotel, as luggage is only accepted under certain conditions and to certain destinations, some of which the hotel does not offer.
“If I had both feet and used the regular STM network, I could leave the same day, lugging my suitcase,” says Ms. Limoges-Godin. “There is a gap between the service offering for regular transit and the service offering for paratransit.”
However, the STM corrected the situation in the afternoon and ensured that Ms. Limoges-Godin’s transport was guaranteed.
“We initially accepted this transportation accommodation this summer. However, for personal reasons, the customer had to cancel her trip,” said Amélie Régis, spokesperson for the Société de transport de Montréal. “When she recently reapplied for the same accommodation, the customer service representative did not notice the note in her file.”
When the STM became aware of the situation today, it contacted Ms. Limoges-Godin and assured her that she would be taken to the hotel.