Ridership grew, STM says, but so did wait times
Transit service reports mixed results, promises improved service, fare freeze
Transit ridership grew in Montreal last year, but more riders were left waiting for late buses and métros.
The Société de transport de Montréal reported the mixed results on Thursday as it promised more and better service, as well as a fare freeze in 2017.
On the bus network, the STM plans to roll out a system by June where, during busy periods, extra buses will be dispatched to pick up passengers along segments of 20 routes that experience the most delays.
For the métro, the transit authority said the arrival of more new Azur métro cars will allow for a 6.6 per cent increase in service by the end of the year.
Mayor Denis Coderre announced the fare freeze, suggesting “riders need a break.” The last fare increase — 1.2 per cent on a regular monthly pass — came in July 2016.
In 2016, 416.2 million trips were taken on the STM, a 0.7 per cent increase from the previous year.
That follows a 0.9 per cent drop in ridership in 2015. Despite last year’s increase, ridership is still below the 416.5 million trips taken in 2013.
As for punctuality, the STM statistics indicate that:
81.5 per cent of buses were on time in 2016, a drop from the 82.3 per cent recorded the previous year. The STM blamed traffic and roadwork.
97.5 per cent of métro users arrived at their destination on time in 2016, down from 97.7 per cent the previous year. The STM blamed a series of shutdowns that affected all four subway lines in November.
923 métro delays of five minutes or more were recorded in 2016, 33 fewer than in 2015.
Coderre said the STM’s “positive results hold promise for better years to come for public transportation.”
Philippe Schnobb, chair of the STM’s board, said the STM has improved service by rolling out more Azur métro cars, buying air-conditioned buses and adding more elevators to métro stations.
The arrival of even more Azurs will make a big difference in 2017, Schnobb said.
“You see it now in métro stations — when an Azur train arrives, the platforms empty out more easily because there’s more space on the trains,” he said.
“We invested almost half a billion dollars this year to improve reliability,” he added. “We showed this year that the public was there — the satisfaction rate was up, ridership was up.”
But city councillor Craig Sauvé of the opposition Projet Montréal described 2016 as a “difficult year” for the STM, with reliability falling and ridership stagnating.
“Yes, the Azurs will help, but they’re packed in the morning, you still see people left on the platform when the métro goes by,” Sauvé said.
“We have serious saturation problems in the métro. You cannot add many more trains at rush hour.”
STM ridership had been growing steadily — it jumped from 368 million rides in 2007 to 416.5 million in 2013, the year Coderre was elected mayor. But it has languished since then.
Sauvé said “there’s some major investments that need to be made, there needs to be some leadership on this issue.” He said many more buses and métro extensions are needed.
The STM boosted service last year. Buses offered service for 3.73 million hours in 2016, compared to 3.68 million in 2015. Métros rolled 79.3 million kilometres in 2016, one million more than in 2015.
In 2017, the STM said it will:
Add more Azur métro cars. Seventeen trains are now in service. By year end, 30 trains will be rolling.
Have 107 more hybrid, air-conditioned buses in service. So far, the STM has 44 of them. It will take eight to 10 years to replace the current diesel, non-air-conditioned buses.
By year-end, enable transit users to track the location of buses on their smartphones.Add cellphone service to 10 métro stations. At the moment, users can use their phones in 30 of 68 stations.
Expand the number of bus lines where customers can board from back doors, which speeds up service. Currently, only three lines allow back-door entry (121, 139 and 439).
Continue installing elevators in métro stations. Twelve now have them. By 2022, another 14 should be wheelchair accessible.
The STM also published information about the salaries and travel expenses of its executives and board members.
Director general Luc Tremblay’s salary increased by 5.5 per cent in 2016 to reach $345,456.
Salaries for Schnobb and vicechair Marvin Rotrand were hiked by 1.5 per cent in 2016. Schnobb’s salary was $128,656, while Rotrand’s was $27,632.
However, the STM spent more than five times more to send Schnobb and Rotrand on “research and development missions” to other cities, including Barcelona, Tokyo, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow and Singapore.
The STM spent just over $30,000 on Schnobb and Rotrand missions in 2016, compared to $5,600 in 2015.
In total, Schnobb’s trips cost $12,874 in 2016, up from $657 in 2015. Rotrand’s trips cost $17,400 in 2016, up from $4,900 in 2015.
Five of their nine trips were to International Association of Public Transport events.
In May, that organization is holding a Global Public Transport Summit in Montreal, an event that is expected to bring 9,500 people to the city.