The rise in fuel prices highlights the need for changes in public transit services in Quebec, from the development of supply in underserved areas to the electrification of bus fleets.
Whether to work, study or seek treatment, the citizens of Bas-Saint-Laurent often have to travel great distances. To get from one RCM to another, their only option is by car. “Both in rural areas and in Rimouski, we are captive to the automobile,” reports the coordinator of Action populaire Rimouski-Neigette, Michel Dubé.
Although he lives in the city, Mr. Gagné, who has difficulty walking, says he had to get a car about three years ago to be able to follow a program within a social reintegration organization. He could not use the service of the Société des transports de Rimouski (STR), whose small buses passed too far from his home.
“The circuits circumvent the poor residential areas”, he underlines moreover. For people on low incomes, this is a big problem, the man notes, especially since the price of gasoline weighs heavily on family budgets.
Some projects in development, however, bring him some hope. The Bas-St-Laurent Regional Development Collective (CRDBSL), created by the region’s eight MRCs, wishes to establish an intermunicipal public transit authority.
“It’s more necessary than ever, and there’s a long way to go to meet the needs,” notes CRDBSL Executive Director Mélodie Mondor.
Intermunicipal service model
Its organization is inspired by the Régie intermunicipale de transport Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (REGIM), created in 2012, which offers bus routes between the cities of five RCMs and the Magdalen Islands. To finance this service, a fuel tax increase of $0.01 per liter is imposed at the pump in this territory. The CRDBSL favors the adoption of a similar solution. “There would have been better times to announce a gas tax hike,” admits Mme Mondor. But we couldn’t fund the service any other way. “A public transit service on our vast territory is the sinews of war to continue to have dynamic, prosperous, welcoming communities,” she continues.
The project is due in about a year for approval by various ministries.
The City of Rimouski must also present an overhaul of its Citébus circuits in the coming months. She promises that they will be more numerous, faster and less than 500 meters from the homes of all citizens. “We want to create a greater habit of public transit. It goes through a more attractive system, ”pleads the mayor, Guy Caron.
According to the former federal deputy of the New Democratic Party, the Rimouski network would however need greater financial support from the Government of Quebec. In 2019, the City and users contributed 70% of the budget of the STR, which is not recognized as a transport company under the Act respecting public transport companies.
“As we have less than 100,000 inhabitants, we have less flexibility, we have less funding, and that causes a lot of problems,” lamented Mr. Caron.
Solo driving in Abitibi
In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, elected representative of Québec solidaire Émilise Lessard-Therrien sees the same issues as in Bas-Saint-Laurent. His party supports the establishment of an emergency fund to help the regions offer alternatives to solo driving. “The rise in the price of gasoline can be the spark plug for a change in behavior,” believes the MP.
Mme Lessard-Therrien particularly advocates the adoption of the Gaspé model throughout Quebec. “A mandate given by the Government of Quebec for the creation of these intermunicipal boards would send a signal for the regions to get started and respond to needs that are extremely felt on the ground of the cows”, judges the person in charge of development. Québec solidaire regional council, which also wants the government to support the deployment of car-sharing services.
She believes that the public transit funding provided for in the last provincial budget is still too low compared to that of the road network. The government plans to invest $30.7 billion in the road network over the next ten years, compared to $13.4 billion in public transit.
For his part, the press attaché to the Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, indicated that annual investments in public transport have increased by 43% since the beginning of the mandate of the Coalition avenir Québec. Claudia Loupret also recalled that such boards come under the municipal sector. “Our government does not want to impose a particular governance on the different regions, but rather give them the latitude to organize themselves,” she commented by email.
The importance of electrification
At the same time, the rise in fuel prices will cause additional expenses for public transport companies. The Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS) is already forecasting a shortfall of $500,000 in 2022. At Exo, which manages a network of commuter trains and buses in the Montreal crowns, it is rather next year. that a higher invoice will be sent to him by his suppliers.
In this context, the electric shift of bus fleets takes on renewed importance. According to the Plan for a Green Economy 2030, “from 2025, all new vehicles acquired by public transport companies and benefiting from a government subsidy will be electric vehicles”.
Exo, which has just published its first action plan in this area, aims to put the first electric buses into service in 2024. The hundreds of rolling vehicles in this network should all be fuel independent within 15 to 20 years.
However, these transformations are not an easy task. Exo, for example, must change its business model so that its fleet is its property rather than that of its subcontractors. “Today, we have new buses that will have to be replaced in 16 years. Electric buses need to be recharged and integrated. Garages need to be built. It takes some time to plan and organize, ”also explains the general manager of the transport company, Sylvain Yelle.
For its part, the Urban Transport Association of Quebec fears that the provincial government will want to advance the deadline from 2025 to 2023, says its president, Marc Denault. This would be too difficult for many transport companies to achieve, he says. The board of directors of the STS, which he also heads, therefore intends to ask the government soon that the initial deadline be maintained.
The rise in the price of gasoline and the return to face-to-face work (as well as the accompanying car traffic) are once again pushing users towards public transport. For their part, the companies that deal with it aim to increase their network and their social role, while reducing their environmental footprint, to the extent of their means.