STM changes on horizon

The cost of a monthly transit pass could increase by 3.1 per cent next year, but commuters should also be able to load their Opus cards online by the end of 2013.

Sandrine Campeau has a tip for Montreal’s transit authority: to make a 3.1 per cent fare hike slightly more palatable, it should do something about late and cramped buses.

“Travelling with a 13-month-old on the bus is already a challenge, but combine this with 20-plus-minute waits and jam-packed buses where you can barely move, and it’s so discouraging,” said Campeau, a regular user of the 105 bus on Sherbrooke St. W. in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

“What is most upsetting is the announcement of the hike on top of all the money we are paying to finance public transit. Where is this money going?”

A 3.1 per cent hike in the price of a monthly bus and métro pass, as of January 2013, is one of the scenarios being mulled by the Société de transport de Montréal, a source told The Gazette.

The cost of a monthly pass is $75.50 now. A 3.1 per cent hike would bring the price to about $77.75.

The last hike was in January 2012, when the price of a pass rose by 3.8 per cent.

STM vice-chair Marvin Rotrand said the authority is considering several scenarios regarding 2013 fares but no decision has been made.

“While riders will be asked to pay their share, the STM guarantee is that we will remain among the most affordable transit systems in North America,” Rotrand said.

Rotrand said the STM is planning “modest service increases” as it waits to hear whether the Quebec government will provide funding for a more significant boost beginning in 2014.

In 2013, the STM plans to build more reserved bus lanes and introduce priority traffic lights for buses on some routes, Rotrand said. The goal is to make bus service more efficient.

Work will also begin on a real-time information system that involves adding GPS to buses, Rotrand added.

The STM’s long-term goal is to increase annual ridership to 540 million by 2020. In 2011, it hit 405 million

News of a possible fare hike angered the opposition Projet Montréal, which noted fares have risen by 60 per cent since Mayor Gérald Tremblay took office, while the inflation in Montreal has risen by 21 per cent.

There is speculation commuter train fares are also set to increase by about three per cent in 2013. A spokesperson said the Agence métropolitaine de transport will decide on 2013 fares in November. On Jan. 1, 2012, AMT fares rose by 3.25 per cent.