Public transit in Quebec | A budget hole of 900 million apprehended by 2027

The shortfall caused by the pandemic in the finances of public transport companies is likely to reach 900 million within five years, warns the Association du transport urbaine du Québec (ATUQ). It is the whole financing system that must be reviewed, she pleads.

“It’s gigantic work, what we have in front of us”, insists the president of the ATUQ, Marc Denault, in an interview with The Press. His group, which represents almost all of the transport companies in Quebec, estimates that the budget hole for transport companies will be 560 million next year.

If nothing is done, this figure will jump to 650 million in 2024. Then, the budget hole would reach 800 million in 2025, 860 million in 2026 and 900 million in 2027. solutions. It takes a solid financial framework for the next five years, ”says Mr. Denault, who calls for meetings to be held twice a year with the government.

Faced with this observation, the manager calls on the authorities to adapt quickly to the new post-pandemic reality. “Since May 2022, the government has been told to set up a discussion table with all the players, to find solutions to the current mode of financing. There was never a single meeting, despite the fact that at the time, Minister François Bonnardel was open to the idea,” he said.

“As a priority, we need a lot more money to keep our buses on the road. It is the frequency that plays the most for users, continues Mr. Denault. We already know, after COP15, that we will be told that we are not doing enough. But there is an opportunity to take concrete action. »

According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, the revenues of carriers in Quebec and Ontario for the past year were 57% of the pre-pandemic level. Over the past 12 months, their receipts have amounted to 1.7 billion, compared to almost 3 billion in 2019.

A model that “no longer works”

According to transport planning expert at the University of Montreal Pierre Barrieau, these figures show that “the funding model no longer works, having amply demonstrated its weakness during the pandemic” of COVID-19.

“Ultimately, it’s really a change in the role of government that it takes. Quebec mainly funds capital assets, but that requires a direct change in funding operations. This is the only way we can manage to offer a service that will lead us towards the energy transition, or even the survival of our current networks,” explains Mr. Barrieau.

His remarks echo those made on Monday by the president of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) who, faced with a budget hole of 78 million this year, launched a new cry from the heart to governments.

“We really have to work on financing the operation of public transport. […] The current system is not viable in the short, medium and long term,” said Éric Alan Caldwell.

Tuesday, The Press reported that the Legault government does not offer any guarantees at this time. “Right now, we have various funding models for our public transit projects in general. We are thinking about all that, ”raised the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, however refusing to go further. The elected nevertheless praised the emergency aid offered by her government during the crisis, equivalent to around 1.4 billion. His cabinet declined to comment further on the matter.

The Société de transport de Sherbrooke (STS) still has a surplus of approximately 9 million that it cannot even use, since it is precisely intended for “loss of income” from the COVID-19 Emergency Fund, deplores Marc Denault, also at the head of the STS. “We have a fuel surcharge of about 2 million, and I can’t even absorb it. This is one example among many others, ”he illustrates.

An idea for the capital

In Quebec City, the Réseau de transport de la capital (RTC) reached 81% of its pre-pandemic ridership last September with 2.5 million trips. This figure was maintained in October, representing 75% of trips compared to 2019.

In short, since June, the RTC has maintained around 76% of its pre-pandemic ridership, an average quite similar to that of Greater Montreal where, according to the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), three-quarters of users are now return.

RTC spokesperson Raphaëlle Savard says her group’s goal is to “end 2022 at 80% of 2019 traffic.” The RTC’s November traffic figures will also be presented this Wednesday, during the presentation of its budget.

In Sherbrooke, 100% of users are already back. “We are back at full speed here. In the last five years, there has been approximately a 25% increase in the number of users. And next year, we are already anticipating revenues of 1 million more compared to 2019, when we were already on the rise,” says Mr. Denault. In his city, 36,000 of the 175,000 residents hold an OPUS card.