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L'abonne BUS
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Additional Information
Quebec City, Quebec
Summary
Organization
Réseau de Transport de la Capitale (RTC)
Status
In progress, started in 2002.
Overview
In Québec City, more than 30,000 people work for the
provincial government, the region’s largest employer. The
government decided to teach by example, encouraging its employees
to use public transportation. Thus, in 2001, the Ministère
des Transports du Québec and the Réseau de transport de
la Capitale (RTC) implemented a pilot project so that fees for
public transportation passes would be deducted directly from
paycheques. Known as L’abonne BUS, today this program has
2,831 members from 36 employers in the public and private sector
and from Communauto, a car sharing organization.
With L’abonne BUS, everyone benefits. RTC is increasing its
customer base and developing client loyalty. Member benefits
include a discount on their monthly passes and the employer is
increasing its visibility among its employees and the public.
Contacts
Nicole Baribeau
Réseau de transport de la Capitale
Telephone: (418) 627 2351 ext. 4983
E-mail : nicole.baribeau@rtcquebec.ca
Serge Léveillée, Transportation analyst
Ministère des transports du Québec
Telephone: (418) 643 1847
E-mail: sleveille@mtq.gouv.qc.ca
Resources
Community Context
As a result of the recent wave of municipal amalgamations, the
City of Québec has eight municipal dictricts, covering 542
km2, with 507,981 inhabitants (2001). As with all North American
cities, Québec City has been experiencing an ever increasing
use of vehicles. In ten years (1991 2001), the number of cars in
use increased by 27,000, or 13%. However, population growth
during the same period was only 19,000.
RTC serves
the Greater Quebec City area
With a very well developed highway network, this population
cluster has 22 km of highways per 100,000 inhabitants, compared
to 8 km for Montréal and 7 km for Toronto. Town planning is
the reason: in recent years, population growth has primarily
occurred on the city’s periphery. Residential development
in these neighbourhoods is still low density. Furthermore, there
are large free parking lots, encouraging car use, but few
pedestrian infrastructures or facilities encouraging the use of
public transportation.
When cars gain ground, public transportation loses it. Patronage
remains stable, but its relative importance continues to sag. In
1991, 16% of motorized trips were made by bus during the week,
whereas in 2001, this percentage was only 10%.
However, when we consider travel by workers alone, the picture is
more encouraging. This clientele has increased by 12% in five
years and constitutes 41% of public transportation passengers.
The majority of jobs in the region, 30,000 of which are with the
provincial public service, are concentrated in the city centres
of Québec and Sainte Foy, as well as Pointe Sainte Foy,
which are very well served by public transportation. Employers
are choosing proximity to public transportation as a location
factor. Thus, half of the new jobs in Québec City were
created in these areas that were already well served by public
transportation.
Clientele
for public transportation by occupation, Quebec City,
2001
The Réseau de transport de la Capitale manages public
transportation. Created in 1969 by the provincial government,
this public organization provides the population with quality
public transportation at the best possible cost. The current RTC
network includes:
Regular service covering the entire network and a high frequency
Métrobus in reserved traffic lanes;
Express service during rush hour for workers (and students) to
the downtown employment areas, connecting residential sectors to
the downtown via highways;
Late night service on certain routes on Fridays and Saturdays at
the end of the evening, as well as a Taxibus service available in
areas not served by RTC.
Policy Context
The problems attributable to increasing automobile use in
Québec City, as elsewhere, are concrete: greenhouse gas,
smog, noise, road network and parking congestion, decrease in the
quality of life, etc.
For these issues, public transportation brings certain relief. It
also has several advantages:
Economically speaking, public transportation enables businesses
to benefit from larger labour pool, and therefore becomes an
important factor in location. It also offers workers greater
access to the various jobs available. The more employees take the
bus, the more parking spaces there will be for clients of these
businesses and shops.
Access to public transportation is essential for many people
travelling to work, to school, to access health care or to
participate in cultural or leisure activities. A 2001 survey
indicates that 13% of households in Québec City do not have
a car.
According to data from CAA Québec, families who prefer to
use the bus rather than a car, or those who give up their second
cars, save more than $8,000 per year. This money may be injected
into the local economy, in sectors that have greater social
benefit than does the automobile sector.
Less car use makes it possible to recover space, specifically by
reducing overly large streets or by decreasing the number of
parking lots. It is estimated that 36 km2 are used for parking in
Québec City. A portion of this space could be recovered to
accommodate pedestrian infrastructure, parks or public
gardens.
Despite the undeniable advantages of public transportation, users
do not benefit from preferential measures or financial incentives
from government.
RTC is rising to the challenge of increasing public
transportation patronage and developing client loyalty. For this
purpose, L’abonne BUS is a marketing tool targeted to
employees in the Greater Québec City area.
Rationale and objectives
L’abonne BUS resulted from the initiative of one
employee at the Ministère des transports du Québec.
This individual noted that the employer allowed employees to pay
their monthly parking fees through automatic deductions from
their paycheques. He therefore concluded that the employer, who
was attempting to accommodate its car driving employees, should
do the same, in the interests of equality, for its employees who
used public transportation.
The idea of encouraging public transit use took off and, in 2001,
the Ministry, in partnership with RTC, implemented a pilot
project for a public transportation subscription with the cost
deducted directly from salary. This project dovetailed well with
the ministry’s own mission: ensuring the flow of
individuals and merchandise via safe, sustainable transportation.
Furthermore, it fit perfectly with greenhouse gas reduction
efforts under the employer component of the Quebec Action Plan on
Climate Change.
For RTC, L’abonne BUS was a way to develop the loyalty of
current clients, so that clients only had to make a decision to
buy the pass once a year and not every month. Clients with
monthly passes increase their bus use for purposes other than
travelling to work. The program benefits also included recruiting
new clients.
For the first year, RTC expected a participation rate of at least
15% of employees in the target organizations, or approximately
750 subscribers. It was estimated that, in the first year, 5% of
subscriptions would come from new clients and that this
percentage would increase in subsequent years.
L’abonne BUS offers specific benefits of interest to
employees: a 10% discount on the price of monthly passes and a
rate freeze for the first year of the program with the employer,
as well as an expanded offer to the subscriber’s immediate
family members. This is a practical plan because subscribers pay
for their passes via source deductions and the passes are
delivered directly to the workplace on a monthly basis. Finally,
L’abonne BUS affirms the employees’ choice because
public transportation is recognized and supported in their
workplace.
By offering staff economical and practical support for mobility,
the employer enhances its image among its employees. By promoting
an ecological method of transportation that contributes to
improving the environment, it increases its public visibility.
Finally L’abonne BUS may make it possible to decrease the
number of parking spots reserved for employees.
Actions
The offices of the Ministère des Transports du
Québec, located in downtown Québec City, were an
appropriate location for the L’abonne BUS pilot project. Of
approximately one thousand employees, 48% travelled by bus. This
project was intended to test the interest in an RTC subscription
via source deductions, as well as the project’s operating
methods and the terms and conditions of such a subscription.
After a year of conclusive experience, the program became
permanent and was expanded to area employers with potential for
at least 25 subscribers. This minimum was set as a result of the
administrative effort required to implement and follow up on the
program.
Monthly billing was already in place. L’abonne BUS enhanced
it with a 10% decrease in the purchase price of 12 monthly
passes. The employer also provided a guaranteed return by taxi
for subscribing employees if they had a family or medical
emergency.
In addition to promoting the program among its employees, the
employer must manage and administer it for its subscribers. It
must use internal resources for the various tasks related to the
subscription, such as source deductions, monthly follow up on the
subscribers’ files, distribution of the passes and payment
of the amounts due to RTC.
In order to promote L’abonne BUS, RTC made significant
marketing efforts:
The organization approached employers by letter or e mail and
asked for meetings with decision makers;
In 2003, RTC also organized a one day symposium, inviting mainly
private sector employers to become involved in promoting
ecological transportation among their employees. This event was
held as part of Québec City’s Semaine des transports
collectifs et alternatifs.
RTC
promotes L'abonne BUS one-on-one
Once an employer confirms implementation of the L’abonne
BUS program, RTC and the employer set up an information table at
the workplace. New subscribers can obtain their subscription card
and personalized information on all the bus routes and schedules.
RTC provides a tool to calculate the cost effectiveness of
L’abonne BUS for each situation. In some cases, non users
can obtain a free, two week trial.
RTC has expanded L’abonne BUS to organizations connected
directly or indirectly with transportation and the environment.
Since November 2004, Communauto, a car sharing business, has
offered its clients the opportunity to subscribe to the
program.
Results
Results of the 2001 pilot were good. Of the 1,000 MTQ
employees, 17% became subscribers. Of these, 6% were new clients,
some of whom had subsidized parking. A survey of subscribers
revealed a 100% satisfaction rate!
Since the L’abonne BUS program became permanent in 2002,
the number of subscribers has continued to increase.
In January 2005, 36 partner employees and Communauto were
participating, for a total of 2,831 subscribers.
Statistics show that there is an 11% participation rate for
workers whose employers provide this program. Participation rates
reach 34% for employers located right in downtown Québec,
exceeding preliminary estimates.
A survey conducted in September 2004 revealed that, out of the
1,539 subscribers who responded:
- 17% always or often used their car to get to work before
subscribing to the program;
- 18% bought fewer than six monthly passes before subscribing
to the program;
- 14% have one or more family members who have
subscribed.
Participants
- RTC has 37 partners in the L’abonne BUS program,
presented below in chronological order of membership:
- Société de l’assurance automobile du
Québec (SAAQ)
- Ministère du Développement durable, de
l’Environnement et des Parcs
- Ministère des Transports
- Société de la faune et des parcs du
Québec
- Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du
Sport
- Ministère des Affaires municipales et des
Régions
- Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du
travail (CSST)
- Bureau d’audiences publiques sur
l’environnement
- Tourisme Québec
- Régie des rentes du Québec
- Office des professions du Québec
- Laval hospital
- Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité
sociale
- Commission administrative des régimes de retraite et
d’assurances
- Société d’habitation du Québec
- Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries
et de l’Alimentation
- Ministère de la Culture et des Communications
- La Capitale MFQ inc.
- National Assembly of Quebec
- Ministère du Développement économique, de
l’Innovation et de l’Exportation
- Radio-Canada/CBC
- Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec
- La Capitale Assurance générale
- Ministère du Conseil exécutif
- Commission des transports du Québec
- Taléo Canada
- Ministère des Finances
- Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Tribunal administratif du Québec
- Québec City
- Ombudsman
- Conseil du Trésor
- SSQ – Société d’assurance vie
- Le Soleil
- Institut national de la recherche scientifique
- BMO – Bank of Montréal
- Communauto
Resources
RTC contributes resources to the administration, management
and promotion of the program. During the first years of the
program, preparation of a information pamphlet for employers and
a significant recruitment effort required additional resources.
However, although in subsequent years recruitment was less
significant, administration time increased with the number of
subscribers. All in all, the resources are equivalent.
With respect to the 10% discount on the cost of the pass, this
did not result in any income loss because the employees using
public transportation usually only bought 10.8 passes per year.
In fact, there was a 16% increase in the number of passes sold
per year, even after the 10% discount was excluded. Furthermore,
the rate freeze granted during the first year of the program with
an employer is an inexpensive marketing tactic that develops
client loyalty and brings in more clients.
The following table presents the expenses assumed by RTC for
2004.
| Administration and
management |
| Recruitment, signature and management of
agreements |
1 person = 4 months/yr |
$20,000 |
| Monthly administration (billing, mail-out
preparation, distribution |
15 days/mo |
$25,000 |
| Promotion and
information |
| Information tables |
22 days x 2 people/day |
$9,000 |
| Promotion (draws, preparing subscriber cards,
etc.) |
|
$5,000 |
| Total for 2004 |
|
$59,000 |
The employer must also contribute resources to the program
because it is responsible for its internal administration. These
data were not included in the table above.
During the pilot project, the Ministère des Transports (MTQ)
prepared and developed various administrative forms, information
posters and computer files. MTQ made these tools available to
other employers.
Timeline
- 2001
Implementation of a one year pilot project with staff at the
Ministère des Transports.
- 2002
RTC offered a permanent L’abonne BUS program to employers
with potential for at least 25 subscribers.
Approached government employers directly or indirectly related
to transportation and environment.
- 2003-2004
Approached all employers in the public and para public
sectors
Approached private sector employers
- 2005
Communauto joined the program
Assessed other types of membership
Recruited other partners
Co-ordinated with partner employers
Responded to requests for information
Lessons learned
- Develop a solid argument. In order to address the
objections of employers, who may perceive the program as a
burden, program promoters must emphasize the benefits of
L’abonne BUS.
- At the same time, they must reassure employees that they
will not be deprived if they give up their cars. Also, the
employer will pay for a taxi if there is a family or medical
emergency. The average cost per employee was not calculated. On
the other hand, employers say that this measure is greatly
appreciated, although seldom used.
- Be flexible. Although L’abonne BUS was originally
intended only for employers, RTC offered the program to
environment related organizations. RTC also made exceptions for
businesses with slightly fewer than 25 subscribers.
- Promotion should be repetitive and individualized. The
decision to stop using a car and travel by public
transportation is not always an easy one. RTC must have a range
of tools to convince those who are undecided: trial pass,
personalized information on schedules and routes, etc.
- Use an electronic smart card rather than a monthly pass.
Currently, RTC must prepare an envelope for each employee
subscriber every month and ensure that these envelopes are
distributed to the 37 partners who then, in turn, must give
them to the relevant individuals. RTC is therefore awaiting,
with interest, the arrival of the smart card (anticipated in
2006) that will enable a single action, per subscriber, to
validate the smart card when he or she subscribes.
- Exploit the multiplier effect. L’abonne BUS is an
access point for new clients. Through 37 partners, RTC reaches
33,000 people. Employer participation in promoting public
transportation gives the employee a new take at
subscription.
CNext steps
Recruitment in the public and private sectors will continue
during 2005. Three new partners confirmed they will enrol for
spring and a dozen employers are looking at the relevance of
offering the program to their staff. This may increase the number
of subscribers to 3,500 by the end of 2005.
RTC will assess requests for other types of subscriptions
programs that would meet different needs, such as subscriptions
by semester for students at CEGEPs and universities.
