The Autorité régionale du transport métropolitain (ARTM) will not tolerate any cuts in the service offered by the various public transport companies in the greater Montreal area, at a time when some of them are raising this possibility due to significant financial challenges. with which they are confronted.
“The message I want to convey today is for citizens and public transit users in the Montreal metropolitan area: the ARTM will not accept that users suffer from the situation with service cuts. It is categorical”, hammered in a statement sent to the Duty on Tuesday the director general of the organization, which is responsible for the financing of the four transport companies in the greater Montreal area, Benoît Gendron.
The latter wanted to react to an article published Tuesday in The dutyin which the director general of the transport organization exo, which manages the five commuter train lines in the region and 226 bus lines in the north and south crowns of Montreal, Sylvain Yelle, mentioned the possibility of having to cut again in its service offer – already reduced in the context of the pandemic – if the Quebec government does not allocate the sum of $29.8 million to balance its budget for the current year.
“The situation is worrying. We cannot hold users hostage in this way”, has moreover reacted Tuesday on Twitter Liberal Party of Quebec spokesperson for transport, André Albert Morin. “If nothing is done other services of [transport en commun] will be at risk,” he added.
The director general of the Réseau de transport de Longueuil, Michel Veilleux, also confided in our pages that a reduction in frequency on some of his less busy bus lines could occur this year if the organization does not obtain an amount of $8 million from Quebec to balance its finances, in the current inflationary context. This sum would be complementary to the amount of 500 million dollars that the ARTM is claiming from Quebec to help all the transport companies under its responsibility to balance their finances this year, Mr. Veilleux said on Monday.
Agreements to respect
However, the transit companies in the greater Montreal area have all negotiated agreements with the ARTM that provide for the maintenance of the 2022 level of service in their territory. These agreements were adopted on February 23 and provide for an average indexation of 4.4% of the remuneration granted to transport companies, indicated Benoît Gendron on Tuesday.
A transport company in the region could not therefore unilaterally decide to reduce the service offer to its population, insists the ARTM.
“I would go even further, in 2023, we will work with partners to relaunch public transit and offer more efficient services, for the benefit of all citizens,” added Mr. Gendron.
The ARTM also agrees that the financial needs of public transit companies in the region are major. However, it argues that they must find a way to save money without affecting the service offer, which for many of them represents 80% of their annual expenses.
Negotiations are continuing in parallel between the ARTM and the Government of Quebec to obtain increased funding for the operation of public transit in the greater Montreal area, as the tabling of the next budget of the Legault government approaches, on March 21st. This is also why the ARTM plans to adopt its budget in April rather than December for a second consecutive year, in order to take into account the fiscal year of Quebec.
“We can’t walk in hope”, launches as for him to the Duty the president of the Urban Transport Association of Quebec, Marc Denault, who also chairs the Société de transport de Sherbrooke.
Throughout Québec, increased funding for public transit is needed to encourage more motorists to opt for the bus or metro for daily travel. “If we offer a service with an adequate offer, it is certain that people will make the modal transfer”, argues Mr. Denault, who hopes to have “good news” when the next budget is tabled. “We are crossing our fingers. »