To give workers who will soon be returning to the office – including the 60,000 public service employees as of November 15 – adjustment time – the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) is extending the suspension of subscriptions until March 2022. annual, which was scheduled to end on December 31.
“While organizations are striving to orchestrate the return to the new normal and a new face-to-face and teleworking balance, this period provides flexibility to public transport subscribers and allows them to adjust,” the director explained on Wednesday. general of the organization, Benoit Gendron, in a statement.
Users who wish to do so can, however, reactivate their annual subscription “at any time”, via their online customer account. “At the latest, they must activate the subscription before the tenth day of the current month, to start using the following month”, specifies the ARTM. Users whose subscription is still in suspension “have no action to take” if they want to continue to assess their needs.
“To avoid clogging the system, users are invited to act as soon as their choice is made rather than waiting at the last moment”, we nevertheless insist in passing.
A return that materializes
This decision was taken when “activities are starting to resume,” argues the spokesperson for the Authority, Simon Charbonneau. He specifies that the gradual return of government employees to their offices, as of November 15, will be an important moment, especially since it could encourage other circles to follow suit.
“It is happening. But not everyone has decided yet. There will be a floating period of trial and error to see what telecommuting and office work for everyone is made up of. We give this reprieve in the meantime, ”he notes.
The return to the officials’ office was originally scheduled for September 7, but the fourth wave of COVID-19 had resulted in the operation being postponed. Quebec aims to have 50% of employees return to the office by January 14. It will be 100% of the staff by January 28.
An information campaign will also be launched next week with a view to setting up, from 1er December, rates intended to be “more flexible”. In particular, the ARTM will create a new ticket valid for 10 trips on any transport network in the territories of Montreal, Longueuil and Laval, at a cost of $ 45, the equivalent of a unit rate of 4.50. $ per pass.
In early September, Press reported that the ARTM will offer “as soon as possible” a new transport ticket “for workers who will have to travel two to three days a week”, instead of five days. “These are things that we still watch, but teleworking has yet to be defined. For it to stick to a reality, it still has to be concrete, ”said Mr. Charbonneau on Wednesday.
With Bruno Bisson and Tommy Chouinard