Public transit fares in the greater Montreal area will increase by 3% on average starting on 1er next July, the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) announced Tuesday morning. Faced with a significant financial crisis, the organization argues that these increases are lower than inflation.
The monthly all-mode pass for zone A (island of Montreal) will increase from $97 to $100 and tickets with 10 passes will cost $33.25, instead of $32.50. On the other hand, in zone A, the single passage will remain the same at $3.75, just like the 24-hour tickets ($11) and the weekly tickets ($30). The reduced rates will follow the same tangent with a monthly card which will increase from $58 to $60 for children aged 6 to 17 and students aged 8 and over.
The fare increases, however, affect all tickets in zones A and B for users traveling between the metropolitan areas of Montreal, Laval and Longueuil. Thus, an all-mode AB pass will increase from $4.50 to $4.75 and the monthly card, which is currently $155, will increase to $160.
Travel between zones A, B, C and D, which includes the northern and southern suburbs, will also increase. A passage will cost $9.50 on July 1, rather than $9.25 currently, and the monthly pass will be $271, instead of $263.
The increases do not affect the fare of the 747 bus between Montreal-Trudeau airport and the city center, which remains at $11, but are applied to Exo services.
This increase in fares, similar to that of last year, comes as transport companies are going through a serious financial crisis. In this context, the ARTM emphasizes that the average indexation of 3% is still lower than the inflation of 4.1% observed over the last year in the Montreal region. “Public transit faces significant funding challenges and, despite everything, the annual fare update is responsible and aims to protect access to various services for the entire population. “Public transportation remains a wise choice compared to the use of other modes of transportation that are more expensive and have a larger environmental footprint, such as driving alone,” said Benoît Gendron, general director of the ARTM, in a press release. .
The ARTM emphasizes that this upward adjustment will “limit the impact of the financial crisis on users”. The problem, however, remains unsolved for transport organizations in the Montreal region who anticipate a shortfall of 561 million in 2025. Last week, the mayors of the metropolitan region, who are at loggerheads with the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, spoke of the need to increase municipal taxes or the registration tax to replenish the coffers of transport companies. They also mentioned the possibility of reducing services.
Geneviève Guilbault was heavily criticized for her controversial statements about the government’s role in the context of the financial crisis of transport companies. “Managing public transport and transport companies is not a mission of the State,” declared the minister last Wednesday during the study of her ministry’s budgetary appropriations. Prime Minister François Legault added more the next day by calling the mayors beggars.