Sophie Bresson, who relies on STM for transportation, wanted to sign up for year-round OPUS to simplify her monthly card renewal. She found herself stuck in an administrative mess that left her with two months of stress and anxiety.
Disabled, Sophie Bresson has been paralyzed on the left side since birth. Due to her reduced mobility, she uses public transportation for her daily activities. “It’s like a metro, but it’s individual. You have to have a pass or a monthly ticket,” explains Pascale Barrett-Bresson, Sophie’s sister, who manages its transit, in an interview.
On May 22, Pascale Barrett-Bresson decided to enroll her sister in this year’s OPUS program. At the time, she was far from suspecting that she would be drawn into an administrative labyrinth due to a glaring lack of communication. “It’s fortunate that I’m here, because if I wasn’t there, what would Sophie do? Says Pascal Barrett-Bresson.
The address is supposed to take effect on 1any July, and the card must be mailed. The ticket amount for the month of July is debited from Sophie Bresson’s bank account on June 11. But after almost a month, no card appeared on the horizon.
On June 19, Pascal Barrett-Bresson sent the first email to STM notifying the issue. A few minutes later a staff member replied: “It’s only June 19th, the card will arrive on June 1st.any July,” reads his email.
On June 22, Pascale Barrett-Bresson relaunched STM. He was told to wait. once again.
A nightmare at Saint Michel station
But on June 28, three days before the firstany July, still no card. And this is where the situation gets complicated. Since June 26, exo – Réseau de transport métropolitain has been responsible for the management and customer service of the OPUS à l’année programme.
So Pascale Barrett-Bresson decided to make a phone call to exo’s customer service on June 29 at the end of the morning. The employee tells her that her sister can go to any STM customer space, including the Saint-Michel metro station, which is most convenient for Sophie-Bresson. She is reassured that the STM staff on site have a list of all the people in the same situation and that Sophie will be able to recharge her OPUS card or that she will be given a temporary card.
At 2 pm the same day, Sophie Bresson went to Saint-Michel station. The employees, who are not aware of the existence of the exo-mentioned list, refuse to recharge their OPUS card.
I felt that no one wanted to help me. You know, I would never treat a person like that. If I had the choice, I would own a car.
Sophie Bresson, in an interview with Journalism
At that time, Sophie Bresson called her sister, who immediately called EXO’s customer service. While Pascale Barrette Brisson is on the line with exo, she receives a call from the Saint-Michel station control unit. He tells her that his sister, who has a mild intellectual disability and becomes disorganized under stress, is going through a crisis. He said to me: Your sister is here. she is angry. I’m here for safety. “If your sister is still upset, I will call the SPVM,” says Pascale Barrett-Bresson.
On this subject, the STM’s position, presented in writing, states that they “have not found any incident or report interfering with their records and therefore cannot substantiate the situation described by Pascal B. Bresson”.
After the event, Pascale Barrette Brisson emails exo to file an official complaint. “This poses threats to a vulnerable and disabled person who lives with prejudice associated with false information provided to him by exo’s service,” it reads.
After the chaos, finale
Despite her best efforts, Pascale Barrett-Bresson believes she hasn’t received enough of a following.
What changed when Journalism Join exo on tuesday.
Less than 24 hours later, Pascale Barrett-Bresson finally heard from exo, who promised to find a solution. She finds it unfortunate that she got a call from Journalism Until his questions are finally answered.
Exo’s media relations consultant Eric Edstrom says a phone call from a journalist led to Bresson’s family being contacted. “I find it unfortunate that you assumed it was an invitation Journalism who started the process, “he said in an interview.
He confirms that it is a communication problem between exo and Pascale Barrette Brisson, not between exo and STM.
Sophie Bresson finally received her OPUS card for the weekend. Although the order was placed on May 22nd, STM did not ship it until June 29th.
STM’s confirmed Journalism that “Customer’s card was mailed later than usual, on June 29th,” referring to an administrative delay. Pascal Barrett-Bresson was never informed of this information, which could de-escalate the situation.
“It’s unbelievable how little people with disabilities are there to make life easy for people with disabilities,” says Pascale Barrett-Bresson. Everything is a battle. Everything is complicated. »
“Music guru. Incurable web practitioner. Thinker. Lifelong zombie junkie. Tv buff. Typical organizer. Evil beer scholar.”
