Subway stops at 11 p.m., intercity buses stop after 9 p.m., lines are canceled, etc. A tidal wave of cuts to public transport are looming in the Greater Montreal area if the Legault government doesn’t increase its financial contribution. A confidential document obtained by Radio-Canada clearly speaks of a return to the 1990s.
Public transport companies have been on alert since Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced her intention to absorb just 20% of their estimated $2.5 billion deficit over the next five years.
According to our information, the minister has recently been open to slightly improving her offer. However, the shortfall for the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) would still be around $275 million for 2024 alone.
A financial gap that would have a significant impact on services provided to citizens in the coming years and which the four transport companies concerned describe very specifically in an internal document.
At the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the subway is supposed to close at 11 p.m. every day and only start operating at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Trains would be suspended on the Orange, Green and Yellow lines, which would affect the frequency of crossings.
STM buses would not be spared either. The number of trips would increase from 18,400 to 15,600 on weekdays, from 12,700 to 10,800 on Saturdays and from 11,700 to 9,900 on Sundays.
To compensate for this decrease, the target number of passengers per bus would be increased from 35 to 45 people, which would lead to greater crowding in the vehicles. At night, transit frequency would be reduced by 33%.
The efforts required of Quebec will take us back to 1991-1992.
” We do not want to “
During a Metropolitan Community of Montreal (CMM) press conference, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante insisted that her administration would try at all costs to avoid cutting services.
We do not want to! “We can’t do that because people rely on public transportation,” said Ms. Plante, referring, among other things, to workers who rely on public transportation for their travel.
Ms. Plante expects the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, to send the same message.
It could damage the reputation of the city of Montreal. It affects its economic potential. For example, the subway closing at 11 p.m. means people have no transportation options after the Canadiens game, there is no subway anymore
The government’s offer [Legault] There is simply no use of public transport, warned the mayor of Repentigny, Nicolas Dufour.
When interviewed by Radio-Canada, Minister Geneviève Guilbault’s office declined to comment on the matter.
Unavoidable job losses
If Quebec sticks to its hard line, the potential cuts also look worrying on the outskirts of Montreal.
At the Société de transport de Laval (STL), for example, the provincial government’s proposal would ultimately lead to the dismissal of 125 employees, according to the confidential document.
From 2024, 18 people would lose their jobs, presumably bus drivers, impacting more than 2,000 public transport users every day.
To make up for this staffing shortage, the STL could eliminate either 50 bus trips during weekday rush hour or 150 off-peak trips. In both cases, important routes would be affected and transit frequency would decrease.
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The STL expects to have to lay off many drivers.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Ryan Remiorz
The situation would not be rosier for the Longueuil Transport Network (RTL), which expects negative impacts for 6,000 to 10,000 users on its territory. It is expected that bus services will be stopped completely in some parts of the city.
RTL also expects significant staff cuts and thus an increased risk of strikes.
Residents of Montreal’s suburbs would not be spared. Exo, the urban transport network, is expected to suspend its intercity bus services after 9:00 p.m. on weekdays. Frequency would also be reduced on weekends and outside of peak hours.
Exo also claims it has no ability to cut local train service.
Limited scope for action
In this rather bleak picture, transport companies point out that they do not have much scope to reduce costs without compromising this[x] service[s]because they have to comply with contractual obligations and collective agreements.
In addition, transport companies have no influence on cost drivers such as diesel, spare parts, taximeter costs for paratransit and others.
That’s why they’re calling on the state government to increase its financial aid, especially since cutting benefits runs the risk of falling into a vicious circle.
A 15% reduction in service offering results in a 7% drop in ridership [une perte] 7% of average income.
According to our information, in a counter-proposal sent to Minister Guilbault on Tuesday evening, the Montreal Metropolitan Community is therefore asking Quebec to cover 75% of the projected deficit by 2028.
However, the Legault government has been repeating for several weeks that it has no more room for maneuver than municipalities and that it is therefore important to share the burden of public transport.
Quebec also says its total share of public transport funding, including infrastructure grants and emergency aid paid during the pandemic, was 48% nationally in 2023, compared to 37% in 2015.