No, public transport in the Quebec metropolis is not more expensive than in Toronto or Vancouver, replies the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) to researchers concerned about the high costs of Quebec transport networks compared to those of the rest of Canada.
“If we exclude costs related to debt service, the STM’s operating expenses are in fact $6.87 per kilometer traveled, the lowest cost of the three major networks and a cost that is in line with the Canadian average of $6.65 per kilometer,” insists the company spokesperson, Amélie Régis, by email.
She thus reacted to a study by HEC Montréal researchers Jonathan Deslauriers, Robert Gagné, Anne-Gabrielle Gendron and Jonathan Paré, who compared the costs of 23 public transport companies in Canada, including 5 in Quebec, namely Montreal, Laval, Longueuil , Quebec and Gatineau.
According to the researchers, Montreal has the most expensive network in terms of operating expenses per kilometer traveled, at $9.63 per kilometer, compared to $9.56 in Vancouver and $7.54 in Toronto. The gap between Montreal and Toronto is 28%, according to calculations made by researchers.
However, to compare operating expenses per kilometer, the researchers “used an indicator which includes expenses linked to debt service”, an element which “is not linked to productivity and biases the comparison since all the networks do not report these costs in the same way,” deplores the STM in its reply.
“In Toronto, debt service is assumed directly by the City and not by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC),” continues M.me Régis, who deplores that “the same methodological problem arises for all Quebec networks”. “We will contact the authors of the study to take stock and request a correction,” she said.
Different realities
In the study by HEC Montréal professors, the four Quebec companies compared that do not have a metro network are well above the Canadian average (of $6.65 per kilometer). Ultimately, researchers estimate that Quebec spends $8.09 for each kilometer traveled by its buses, or 22% more than the average, compared to $7.85 for Gatineau, $7.47 for Laval and $7.22 for Longueuil. .
That said, “we cannot compare networks whose sizes and realities are so different,” laments the STM on this subject. “The only comparables that are relevant for the STM network are Vancouver and Toronto, particularly because of the presence of heavy modes as well as the size and density of the urban area served,” maintains Amélie Régis.
This affirms that the Montreal transport company can only be compared with studies “where we analyze metro and bus systems of similar size in different cities around the world”.
At the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM), the study is also questioned. “The operation of services takes place on land which has its own particularities, a more or less dense urban fabric, different modes, etc. and it is sometimes tempting to compare data without taking into account the very different operating conditions and financing structures,” notes the spokesperson, Simon Charbonneau.
He affirms that his group has clearly positioned itself “on the need to increase the performance of public transport”. Optimization projects “aimed at doing better, doing more, at the best cost” were also launched this spring, notes Mr. Charboneau, who specifies that “this exercise will continue in order to explore avenues for optimization further recurring”.
As for the office of the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, it welcomes the message that the study sends, in substance. “We need to improve the efficiency of our transport companies. Operational efficiency, as indicated in the study, is one of the main avenues of solution to improve the services and finances of transport organizations. Our actions are consistent with this,” said the minister’s communications director, Maxime Roy, on Wednesday.
All this happens while Mme Guilbault must soon carry out performance audits in the ten transport companies. The finances of the ARTM will also be scrutinized by Quebec. The objective: “to ensure that each dollar invested in public transportation is optimized,” maintains Mr. Roy.