Punctuality rate for STM buses hits lowest since 2020, data shows

Article content material

Public transit buses in Montreal are late one out of 4 instances, in keeping with the most recent efficiency indicators from the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).

Article content material

The punctuality price, which was revealed by the opposition at a metropolis council assembly on Monday, has worsened simply as town and enterprise teams are attempting to draw extra folks to downtown and attempting to incite Montrealers to cease making solo automotive journeys, Ensemble Montréal councillor Chantal Rossi mentioned throughout the query interval of the month-to-month council assembly.

Article content material

“We additionally be taught that the satisfaction price of shoppers on board buses is in freefall since July, and it’s triggered to an incredible extent by dissatisfaction with punctuality,” mentioned Rossi, who’s chief of the opposition on council.

“If we need to make motorists thinking about abandoning the consolation of their automotive, we should supply them actual options … aggressive options.”

Article content material

The STM’s information confirmed that buses have been on time 76.8 per cent of the time in September, its lowest for the reason that starting of the yr, when punctuality was between 81.7 per cent and 86 per cent. The final time bus punctuality by month dropped under 80 per cent was in February 2020, when it dipped to 78.3 per cent earlier than climbing again as much as 85.7 per cent the next month.

“When the administration and Chambre de commerce Montréal Métropolitain are inviting folks to return again downtown whereas abandoning their solo automobiles, we be taught that the bus is late one out of each 4 instances,” Rossi mentioned. She requested the administration to ensure transit customers that bus punctuality will probably be improved by the tip of the yr.

Projet Montréal councillor Éric Alan Caldwell, who’s chairperson of the STM, responded that his administration has made efforts to enhance high quality of service for STM riders.

Article content material

“The standard of service for shoppers of the STM is prime,” he mentioned.

“Our capability to maneuver folks, supply good service (and) predictability drive us to proceed to put money into our infrastructure, the acquisition of recent buses… (and) within the upkeep of the métro with new tools to extend reliability.”

Nevertheless, Caldwell acknowledged there are challenges for bus service “with the resumption of congestion in Montreal. The problem, he mentioned, is to “extract our buses from site visitors, exactly to offer a aggressive benefit to the bus,” he mentioned. Examples embody including extra reserved bus lanes and know-how to supply real-time data on bus arrivals, he mentioned.

“As a result of sure, you’re proper to say that punctuality is necessary,” Caldwell mentioned.

Article content material

Information of the bus efficiency indicators come because the Higher Montreal transit authority, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), introduced on Friday that regional fare revenues are down by greater than 25 per cent in contrast with 2019 as a result of teleworking. ARTM director basic Benoît Gendron referred to as on Quebec to make extra contributions to cowl a projected $500-million shortfall for 2023.

lgyulai@postmedia.com