Free shuttle service targets areas with low vaccination rates

Montreal will offer free shuttle routes to vaccine clinics, running though St. Leonard, Montreal North, Lasalle and Ville Emard — areas where vaccination rates are lowest.

Health officials believe the “VAX-19” line will facilitate the process for anyone who still hasn’t gotten their first dose.

“There’s a group who believe that the vaccine is not for them or will not help them, but there’s also a significant number of people who have not been reached by the weekly conferences, by the media,” said junior health minister Lionel Carmant.

From people with mental health issues to those with language barriers, or even those who just haven’t had the time, the bus will pick people up at community centres and take them straight to the clinics.

Pietro Bozzo says the service could be a game changer for the people of St. Leonard, where the closet vaccination centre is at Olympic Stadium.

“Even though I think it’s a great location because it’s large and it’s well-ventilated, it’s not the easiest to get around and it’s not the easiest to get to,” said the executive direction of community group La Maison de la Famille de Saint-Léonard.

And while the junior health minister acknowledges some people won’t be convinced no matter what, he’s confident there are still many people who will be convinced to get a first shot.

“In less than a month, we’ve added 20,000 people without being at the peak of our vaccination campaign, so we believe that the numbers will increase over the next few weeks,” said Carmant.

The bus service will be in operation from this Saturday to next Saturday, and if it’s popular, could be extended.