Financing public transport | The impasse remains between Quebec and the cities

The impasse remains in terms of financing public transport between Quebec and the cities of Greater Montreal, despite two summit meetings in less than a month. In the short term, the government offer remains at 200 million, which suggests that the registration tax will soon be increased.

“We remain very concerned about the year to come. The 2025 budget will remain extremely difficult. And it will impose important choices for municipalities,” said the mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, on Friday, after a meeting with the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.

This was the second meeting in less than a month between the mayors of Greater Montreal and the minister, who this time took place on the sidelines of the meetings of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ), in the city center . The first took place on May 6.

Refusing to answer questions from journalists, the two camps spoke of a “constructive” meeting, even if we feel that the disagreement remains unresolved with a view to reaching an agreement.

The minister does not seem to have given in on her intention to limit herself to aid of 200 million to carriers in the metropolis, or around 70% of their “cyclical” deficit attributable to tariff revenues which melted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with a shortfall of 561 million, transport companies are demanding a minimum of 421 million.

She states that various “proposals” were made during the meeting, including, first of all, “optimization and pooling” of certain services. The options in this direction are known and numerous: twinning of bus services, sharing of infrastructure, reduction of payroll or even a merger of transport companies, as revealed The Press earlier Friday.

“We are going to have discussions again, but I am very confident that we will have an agreement […] with the predictability that has been desired for a very long time. And finally, we’re going to get there,” continued M^me Guilbault.

An increased tax?

The Metropolitan Community of Montreal (CMM) will soon have to make an important choice. To compensate for the immense gap, an increase in the registration tax seems inevitable. The idea of ​​increasing this tax by approximately 150%, taking it from $59 to $148 per car throughout the metropolitan area, was also discussed on the sidelines of Friday’s meeting.

However, this increase could be even more significant. At the end of April, The Press had already revealed that a steep increase, to say the least, of up to 280%, was also studied by the municipalities. Regarding income, such a measure would provide no less than 361 million in 2025 alone.

“We are really ready to turn over all the stones to see which scenario would allow us to have the most efficient public transport system possible,” insisted M.^me Fournier, without coming any further.

In Quebec, Mayor Bruno Marchand already confirmed at the beginning of May that a new tax on registration of at least $10 will be charged to motorists in the capital from 2025. “Without additional revenue, there would be a drop in service. At a time when we want to promote public transportation, we would be forced to reduce services. But we want to increase them,” he argued.

A digital transition highlighted

In the public transport sector, voices are also starting to suggest that it would be possible to “reduce the scale” of the digital transformation plan of the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM), called “Concerto” and estimated at 162 million, to release new funds.

“When we know that hundreds of millions are missing, it would be in our interest to reduce the scale of the project, and above all to avoid a slip-up at SAAQclic,” says a source familiar with the matter on this subject.

This digital shift was initially expected to cost 57 million, but has experienced several cost overruns and “is still at the planning stage”, continues this source, who suggests “starting with the most urgent”, namely payment by telephone and credit card.

Officially, “Concerto” must be done in four main stages. The first – we’re already there – consists of a single mode, the OPUS card, with a mobile recharge system that we added last April. Then, in the course of 2025 or 2026, the shift would continue with the addition of payment by credit card and the online purchase of tickets then validated with the user’s phone. By 2027, a “multi-mode” system would be deployed, possibly using a mobile application bringing together the metro, bus, REM, car sharing, bike sharing, taxi, carpooling or even electric scooters. .

“Public transport users have the right to expect a simple, fluid and modern fare management system. OPUS 1.0 is at the end of its useful life. There is a difference between cutting and doing better,” reacted ARTM spokesperson Simon Charbonneau on Friday.