The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced at the start of the year that it was ending its promise of a “10-minute maximum” wait that was in effect on certain lines of its bus network. Customers will therefore have to be more patient at stops, even at peak times.
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Why did you make this decision? It is that the pandemic, teleworking and changes in customer habits have reduced demand, said STM public relations officer Philippe Déry by email. As a result, some buses end up running half empty during peak hours – and fewer customers also means less money to fund services.
Currently, the ridership of the bus network is around 70% of the pre-pandemic level. The transport company predicts that it will barely reach between 70 and 80% for the year 2023.
Before the pandemic, the STM had 31 bus lines that were part of the “10-minute max” network launched in 2010.
The offer crumbled little by little, and at the start of 2023, there were only 8 lines left which still had passages every 10 minutes (18 Beaubien, 24 Sherbrooke, 33 Langelier, 64 Genest, 103 Monkland, 106 Newman, 141 Jean-Talon East and 406 Express Newman). until there were less than ten at the beginning of this year. Since January 9, even these lines no longer have guaranteed crossings every 10 minutes.
Resources are redistributed elsewhere in the network. “This measure is aligned with our desire to optimize service to meet the needs of growing traffic routes, particularly in industrial sectors” and to adjust service on other routes across the Montreal network, says Mr. Dery.
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Asked whether it is not afraid that a drop in service will amplify the drop in ridership, the STM wants to be reassuring, certifying that the frequency of bus passages on these eight lines will remain high. A bus could go from a frequency of 10 minutes to 12 minutes for a short time, effectively making the “promise” of “10 minutes max” no longer apply, without the wait being so much longer.
Please note: the stop signs may still have the “10 minutes max” pictogram, despite the removal of the service. Their withdrawal will be gradual. As for the STM website, there is no longer any mention of the special “10 minutes max” network since January 9.
For all information on the passage of a bus, the STM invites customers to consult applications such as Chrono, which broadcast the positioning of buses in real time.
Fewer drivers on the horizon?
Despite a cut in passages, this does not mean that there have been or will be job cuts at the STM.
“The optimizations made to the STM’s service offer did not require any layoffs, even temporary ones,” says Philippe Déry. We have a sufficient number of drivers to provide the service and this measure is not linked to the availability of our workforce.
This reduction in STM service on the “10-minute max” bus lines comes a few months after the presentation of the carrier’s 2023 budget last November, which forecast a deficit of $77.7 million. Mr. Déry maintains that the new service offer is made with a view to sound management of public funds, but also in accordance with the organization’s financial situation.
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