Several organizations on Tuesday denounced the rise in public transit prices, scheduled for early July in Greater Montreal. They are calling for the implementation of social pricing, based on income, a measure that has been talked about for a long time, but which still seems far down the list of government priorities.
“We were there first to denounce the high current prices, but above all, the increase in the 1er July on the single ticket, which will really target low-income people for whom a $90 bus pass does not fit into the budget”, insists the coordinator of the Regional Table of Voluntary Organizations for Popular Education (TROVEP ), Julie Corbeil.
His group, supported by the Movement for Affordable Public Transport (MTPA), met in the morning in front of the Stock Exchange Tower, where the offices of the Minister of Social Solidarity, Chantal Rouleau, are located. “It becomes absolutely impossible for some people to move around, when it is essential to have access to work, health, education”, persists Mme Trash.
At the end of April, the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) announced that public transport prices would increase by 3% this year in the metropolis, from 1er July. “All modes” single tickets in zones A, ABC and ABCD will therefore increase by $0.25 from July, with a similar logic for a round trip, 10 trips and monthly subscriptions. Result: a ticket to travel on the island of Montreal will now cost $3.75, and the monthly subscription will increase from $94 to $97.
What about social pricing?
Because the constant rise in tariffs “makes certain people condemned to immobility”, the establishment of social pricing based on income has become urgent, judges TROVEP. “It takes a measure put in place with a view to moving towards free access, to guarantee financial inclusion without limits and without obstacles”, supports Julie Corbeil on this subject.
At the ARTM, spokesperson Simon Charbonneau concedes “that income-based pricing deserves to be studied in more depth” with the Government of Quebec, the Montreal Metropolitan Community and the municipalities concerned. “This decision does not belong exclusively to the ARTM since it is a fundamentally social measure,” says Mr. Charbonneau.
Social pricing for public transport is already in force in several European cities. In the province, the City of Quebec decided this spring to grant a 33% discount on subscriptions to the Réseau de transport de la capital (RTC) to all its low-income citizens.
In Montreal, however, it is more complicated. In May, Mayor Valérie Plante reiterated her belief in the need for the measure, which she had also mentioned since her election in 2017. However, “currently, the ARTM has neither the levers nor the funds to finance a such a measure,” says Simon Charbonneau.
“The pandemic that has been raging for two years has had major impacts on public finances and the drastic drop in income that we are experiencing in public transport has further deepened the problem”, maintains the spokesperson.
In 2023, public transit in Greater Montreal was “facing a shortfall of 500 million and a 6.2% increase in the CPI to complete the budget financing existing services”, he recalls again. “The annual indexation which was 2% on average in recent years was limited to 3% this year. Under the circumstances, it’s still a victory. »
With Philippe Teisceira-Lessard, The Press