Criticized for having raised its fares on July 1, the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) has decided to revise some of them downwards. Thus, the unit fares for users who take the metro in Laval and Longueuil will go from $5.25 to $4.50 as of October 1.
This respite will only be temporary since the ARTM is already warning that the full price will be gradually reached in 2025.
In the wake of the unveiling of the new fare schedule last spring, users living near the Longueuil and Laval metro stations protested to see the price of a metro ticket jump from $3.50 to $5.25. $. A petition had been launched to protest against this measure.
On Thursday, the ARTM announced that it would reduce the “All modes AB” unit fare to $4.50 as of October 1, thus hoping to increase public transit ridership which, according to recent data, would only reach 60% of that observed before the COVID-19 pandemic. The cost of tickets for 10 trips, which is currently $45, will be reduced to $42.50.
This drop in prices is a “step in the right direction,” said Axel Fournier, spokesperson for the Association pour le transport collective de la Rive-Sud. “We are happy with the decrease, but it is not a long-term decrease because they intend to increase it to $5.25 by 2025. It is a bit of a powder to the eyes to make a decrease if the intention is to increase again [les tarifs] he says.
The ARTM is of the opinion that the new fare schedule is advantageous for occasional users who, before July, had to buy several passes to get around since the cost of the bus ticket, combined with that of the métro, caused the bill to rise to $7. The same trip now costs them $4.50.
However, this rate is less advantageous for citizens who live near the Laval or Longueuil metro stations. “We will continue to mobilize citizens, that’s for sure,” promised Axel Fournier.
For their part, the mayoress of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, and her counterpart from Laval, Stéphane Boyer, welcomed the ARTM’s decision. “We are delighted that the ARTM has agreed to revise the rates and adjust the shooting following the representations that have been made. The solution may not be perfect, but it demonstrates the ability to listen to citizens, while respecting the new directions of the redesign,” they said in a joint statement.