Public transit User’s Guide

To consult the User’s Guide for Paratransit for persons with reduced mobility, click here.

 

 

The following items apply to all services of the Régie intermunicipale de transport Gaspésie – Îles-de-la-Madeleine, unless otherwise noted for certain routes or sectors.

Reserve your trip

• Some trips require reservations, while others do not require a reservation. Check your schedule to see if you need to book ahead.
• For trips requiring a reservation, you can book your seat on the bus up until 3:00 p.m. the day before the trip. You can book several trips at the same time.
• Before making your first reservation, you must register with the RÉGÎM. The information you provide will remain confidential and will help us to improve the quality of our services. However, you can use public transit without being registered.
• To reserve or to register, call 1-877-521-0841 between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., monday to friday.
• To better meet the needs of all users, the schedules and routes may change. Make sure to check the most recent schedules in the Routes and schedules section of our website, where the most up-to-date schedules are always posted.

Forgot to reserve your seat?

• If you do not reserve, the RÉGÎM cannot guarantee that you will have a seat.
• If you do not reserve, you may use the public transportation network as long as there is a free seat on the bus. Be sure to contact us if you decide to cancel a reservation.
• If you reserved a seat but decide not to use the service, contact us as soon as possible to cancel your reservation.
• The RÉGÎM may require payment if you reserve seats and do not notify us of a cancellation. Late arrivals at the stop are considered cancellations without notice.

Choose your stop

• You must be at the bus stop five minutes before the scheduled arrival time.
• As the vehicle approaches, gesture with your hand and make sure to get the driver’s attention.
• Wait in line and let the other passengers get off before getting on.
• For reasons of safety and the punctuality of the service, the driver is not allowed to pick up or drop off passengers other than at the waiting areas.

Enjoy the ride on public transportation!

• For your safety, remain seated until the bus comes to a complete stop.
• It is prohibited to eat, drink or smoke on the bus.
• Always respect the bus driver and other passengers.
• Guide dogs or assistance dogs are the only animals allowed on the bus. Please consult the Procedure for transporting a guide dog or assistance dog aboard our autobuses for details.
• Any bags must fit on your knees or under your seat. Passengers will only bring luggage onboard that they can carry themselves and that will not occupy additional seats.
• Children under the age of ten must be accompanied by an adult.
• For groups, there must be at least one accompanying adult for every three children.
• People travelling with young children may bring their strollers onboard and travel with the child on their knees.
• Transfers within a sector are included in the price of a ticket. To learn more about connections, please consult the fare schedule.

Note that the Régie intermunicipale de transport cannot be held responsible for any accident, inconvenience or other event caused by non-observance of the rules described above.

Lost and stolen objects

• Neither the RÉGÎM nor its staff members, including the bus drivers, are responsible for any lost or stolen objects.
• If you lose something on the bus, contact a point of service.

Cancellation of services

• Bad weather and other fortuitous events may result in service cancellations, delays or changes throughout the network or in certain areas.
• All changes will be announced as early as possible on local radio stations and on the RÉGÎM website.
• To be informed of any service disruptions, you can subscribe to the SMS alert service. Please note that if you wish to unsubscribe for the SMS alert service, enter the word “STOP” and send it by text message to 778 764-0841.
• You may also contact a point of service for information.
• The RÉGÎM is not responsible for any inconveniences caused by such situations.

Paratransit User’s Guide

To consult the User’s Guide for Public Transit, click here.

 

The following elements apply to paratransit (adapted transportation) services for handicapped persons with reduced mobility offered by the Régie intermunicipale de transport de la Gaspésie et des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, except if indicated otherwise for specific routes or sectors.

 

Eligibility for Paratransit Services

To be eligible for paratransit services, you must meet two criteria: be a handicapped person, in other words have “a significant and persistent impairment that is severe enough to cause obstacles in the accomplishment of daily tasks” and suffer from reduced mobility.

 

• For more information concerning an eligibility application, call the point of service closest to you. Call us at 1 877 521-0841 or send an email to [email protected]

 

• To make an eligibility application, you must complete the form available here. Send the completed form, along with a proof of age (photocopy of your Medicare card or birth certificate) to the RÉGÎM point of service closest to you or by mail to the point of service in your area:

 

Haute-Gaspésie Sector

This office serves the municipalities between Cap-Chat and Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine inclusively.

40, route du Parc, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (Quebec) G4V 2B8

Baie-des-Chaleurs Sector

This office serves the municipalities between Shigawake and Matapedia inclusively.

146-C, avenue de Grand Pré, Bonaventure (Quebec) G0C 1E0

 

The information contained in the eligibility form will remain confidential and will allow us to determine eligibility to the service and ensure the quality of our services.

• You will receive a response within 45 following the reception of the complete application form.
• If your application is accepted, a membership card will be sent to you.
• If your address, physical condition, medical diagnosis, your use of mobility aids, or your requirement for a companion change, you must advise the RÉGÎM in order to keep your file up-to-date.

Reserve your seat!

Reservations are essential to use the paratransit service. The RÉGÎM strives to respond in a satisfactory manner to the largest number of requests possible and to do so, users must remember that the reliability of this service is based on the premise that clients anticipate their needs, plan for transportation requirements and communicate reservation requests as soon as possible. A minimum delay of 24 hours is required for all reservations. However, in all cases, it is preferable to contact the RÉGÎM as soon as a transportation requirement is known to reserve in advance.

• All paratransit services require reservations.
• Eligible persons may request transportation for various types of travel needs: to participate in social and recreational activities, to get to work, for health services, courses, etc. It can be used for regular or occasional travelling requirements, for group trips or sometimes for unexpected reasons.
• It is recommended that you contact the RÉGÎM as soon as possible when you require paratransit services to reserve in advance. However, you may also reserve a place aboard the bus up to 24 hours before your trip. You may also reserve several trips at once.
• To make a reservation, call 1 877 521-0841 from Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 12:00 and between 13:00 and 16:30. The following information will be required to give to the reservation agent:
  • Your name and surname;
  • The date you wish to travel;
  • The exact pick-up address and destination address;
  • The time you wish to leave and return;
  • The use of a manual or electric wheelchair, a mobility scooter a walker, etc.
  • The presence of a companion, if necessary.
• The reservation agent will use this information to calculate the duration of the trip, including the time required to get on and off the bus, plan the return trip and determine whether it is possible to offer the transportation in function of the places available for the routes and times requested.
• It is possible to leave a message on our answering machine after business hours. A reservation agent will return your call between 8:30 and 12:00 or between 13:00 and 16:30, to confirm your reservation.
• All changes related to the schedule, the destination, equipment or a companion for a confirmed transportation reservation, must be transmitted to the reservation department at least 24 hours before the trip.
• If this delay is not respected, the reservation department cannot guarantee the modification. If it is impossible, the person can either keep the reservation or cancel it. Bus drivers are not authorized to make last-minute changes.
• If a client wishes to cancel a reservation, he or she must inform the reservation department (and not the bus driver) whether it is several days ahead of time or a few minutes notice due to unforeseen circumstances. This call is essential to an efficient transportation reservation system and to avoid unnecessary travelling.
• If a customer frequently misses transportation without notifying the reservation department, the RÉGÎM can require payment of reserved trips.

Getting on the bus

• The time for getting on and off the bus is tightly scheduled in function of reservations and travelling time. In order to satisfy our clients, it is important that the minibus be on time at each point of the route. To attain this objective, punctuality is essential. Consequently, the RÉGÎM asks all passengers to be ready 5 to 10 minutes before the time confirmed by the reservation department. The time may slightly vary in function of the route. However, you must be ready to get on the vehicle when it arrives.
• Your home and destination must be accessible for safe travelling. This is why it is essential that your entranceway be properly cleared, free of snow, ice and all obstacles, such as tree branches. If the entranceway is not clear when the vehicle arrives, you will have to remain at your domicile.
• The bus driver’s responsibility begins as soon as the client gets on the bus at the departure point of the reservation and ends when the client reaches the door of his/her destination. The assistance that he can provide is limited to manoeuvres to get on or off the bus, from the doorway of the departure point, travelling from the doorway to the vehicle and getting on or off the vehicle. The driver is not authorized to pick up or return clients upstairs or to carry clients. If you must use an elevator or an escalator, or if you require assistance beyond the doorway, it is your responsibility to find assistance from another source.
• If necessary, when boarding you must inform the bus driver of any health precautions required by your health condition.

On the bus

• For your safety, you must remain seated until the bus comes to a full stop. .
• It is prohibited to drink, eat or smoke on the bus.
• We ask that you respect the driver and the other passengers. Good manners, politeness, respect and courtesy are essential for everyone’s comfort. The bus driver can refuse access to a person whose conduct could affect the safety of other passengers. It is prohibited to distract the driver when the bus is moving.
• Animals are not allowed on the bus, except for guide dogs and assistance dogs. Certain requirements may apply.
• Luggage must be placed on a passenger’s lap or under the seat. Passengers will only bring luggage onboard that they can carry themselves and that will not occupy additional seats.
• Seatbelts are obligatory for all passengers. The driver will assist passengers who cannot attach seatbelts by themselves. He will check that each person’s seatbelt is properly attached before leaving. Persons in wheelchairs must verify that the chair’s brakes are functional.
• It is forbidden to take medication on RÉGÎM paratransit vehicles, including prescription medication. In order to avoid incidents onboard and due to the fact that the bus driver is not responsible for the supervision of medication, passengers are asked to take their medication before or after the bus trip, if necessary. If a passenger must transport medication on a RÉGÎM paratransit bus route, the medication must be placed in a distinct container that is clearly identified, for example with a sticker with the complete name of the person concerned. The medication container or bag must be given to the driver when boarding and claimed when getting off the bus.

Lost or stolen objects

• The RÉGÎM and its staff, including bus drivers, are in no way responsible for lost or stolen objects.
• If you have lost an object, contact your point of service for information.

Cancellation of services

• Severe weather conditions or other cases of “force majeure” may lead to cancellations, delays or changes to service throughout the entire network or a section of it.
• All changes will be announced as soon as possible on local radio stations and on the RÉGÎM website.
• To be quickly informed about service disruptions, register for the SMS Alert Service.
• You can also contact your point of service for information
• When weather conditions deteriorate throughout the day and that bus drivers report that there are risks for the safety of passengers, the time for return trips could be advanced. If this is the case, the RÉGÎM will call all persons affected to advise them that the return trip has been advanced.

The RÉGÎM is in no way responsible for the inconveniences caused by this type of situation.

Mobility Aids

• All mobility aids must be clean and functional.
• All mobility aids must be properly secured on the bus prior to transportation.
• A wheelchair must have a 4 point tie down system allowing it to be secured to the floor of the vehicle. A wheelchair must also respect the maximum dimensions of the passenger lift: 124 cm (50 inches) in length and 81 cm (31 inches in width).
• If you use a three or four wheel mobility scooter, you must be able to transfer to a seat on the vehicle by yourself as it is prohibited to remain seated on this equipment when the vehicle is in motion.

Vacant seats and other transportation services

• Vacant seats aboard paratransit vehicles may be used by persons who are not normally eligible for this service, as if they were seats on the regular public transit service.
• Persons who are eligible for paratransit services may use the regular public transit service if they are autonomous and if they follow the regulations of the public transit user’s guide. The first seat of each vehicle is reserved for persons with reduced mobility. However, it must be noted that the public transit service vehicles are not equipped to transport mobility aids.
• Paratransit clients may use the shuttle service to Orléans Express bus stops. In this case, it is essential that you mention your particular needs to the agent when making a reservation.

 

Failure to follow the instructions above can lead to a suspension or a change to eligibility conditions.

 

Updated on: 22-11-2016

 

To return to the User’s Guide for Paratransit for persons with reduced mobility, click here.

 To return to the User’s Guide for Public Transit, click here.