To say goodbye to the “10-Minute-Max-Netz” of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), a memorial service with a slightly humorous note will take place next Thursday.
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“[Cette] Disappear […] raises fears of major benefit cuts across Quebec. This shows the urgency of finding new sources of sustainable and predictable public transport funding. Users deserve frequent and reliable service!” said Sarah V. Doyon, executive director of Trajectoire Québec, which defends the rights of Québec public transit users.
The reduction in bus frequency announced by STM thus affects a total of 31 lines.
Thursday’s event, taking place from 8am to 9am at the corner of Rue De Bleury and Boulevard De Maisonneuve, near the Place-des-Arts train station, aims to highlight the importance of increasing the funding of the STM and the range of services strongly affected by the pandemic.
Underfunding would have resulted in an overall 5% decline in services since 2018, Emmanuel Rondia, director-general of Montreal’s Regional Council for the Environment, said in a press release.
At the same time, car use in households would have increased from 49.9% to 54.7% between 2016 and 2021.
“It’s the completely opposite direction to what we need to follow,” he added.
People “affected by the loss of this esteemed service” are invited “to come together and reflect,” the statement concluded.