STM looks for better ways to tell commuters about Metro shutdowns

The STM says it's heard commuters loud and clear:messages about metro shutdowns are not helpful enough.

That's why STM board chairPhilippe Schnobbsays the public transit authority is going back to the drawing board to come up with a better way to inform commuters about the reasons behind service interruptions.

"We think that information could help people have a better understanding of all the issues that are going on every day," said Schnobb in an interview with CBC Montreal's Homerun.

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Schnobb admits the current pre-recorded messages are very vague and do not cover all situations.

As an example, he said commuters may be told the cause of an interruption is an emergency services intervention, which could mean police, firefighters or EMTs.

He believes if people know the exact nature of an interruption, they may be more patient.

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"The best thing is would be less disruptions, I'll be the first to say that, but even if we take all the measures we can to reduce the number of disruptions, there will be some sometimes so we have to find a better way to inform our clients about that," he said.

"It's not about trying to put the burden on someone else, it's a matter of being better informed."

At the moment the STM is exploring different options, like creating more varied pre-recorded messagesor having an employee give updates over the Metro's speaker system.

New Year's Eve success

Schnobb said it was a big success to have the Metro run all night long on New Year's Eve.

"I'm very proud," he said. "It was a service that was needed."

According to Schnobb, somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 people used the Metro that night.

He said it was only the second time the Metro had been open all night on a New Year's Eve. The last time was in 2000.

The Metro is open all night every year on Nuit Blanche.