STM buses delayed by pressure tactics
For the last two days, dozens of buses in Montreal, Laval and other cities in the province have been pulled over and ticketed by agents working for Quebec’s licence bureau, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
The operations are pressure tactics by the union of road security patrollers who are demanding pay hikes. More than 100 buses were pulled over provincewide Wednesday.
STM spokesperson Amélie Régis said 15 buses were pulled over by SAAQ agents Thursday morning and three of them were towed because they exceeded the maximum weight for motor vehicles. On Wednesday, a total of 50 tickets were issued to STM buses and two were towed away.
Régis said none of the buses that were pulled over were carrying passengers, but the operation caused delays on routes because some buses arrived late or not at all. Régis said the STM will be contesting the tickets, which each carry a fine of $262, in court.
The Société de transport de Laval (STL) said in a statement on its website that it is already common knowledge that buses exceed the maximum permitted weight and this situation has been tolerated by the province for several years. The STL asked for the government to intervene quickly.
“We are surprised that the SAAQ agents have decided to take such actions everywhere in Quebec, threatening to take thousands of bus commuters hostage,” STL spokesperson Daniel Boismenu said.
A federation of private bus drivers also denounced the union action. La Fédération des transporteurs par autobus said it penalizes drivers, who can’t respect their contractual obligations; passengers; and people with mobility difficulties who rely on adapted transportation to get around.
In Quebec City, Transport Minister André Fortin denounced the actions of the agents as “completely unacceptable.”
“I never thought that a group, to attain their negotiation objectives, would take workers, students who simply want to reach their morning destinations hostage,” Fortin said.
René Goulet, the president of the Fraternité des constables du contrôle routier, said the pressure tactics highlight the union’s grievances and the government’s lax attitude about overweight vehicles.
Goulet said the government owes his union a four per cent salary increase, which would amount to $2,400 more per worker, starting in 2019.
According to the collective agreement signed with SAAQ patrollers last year, they have a right to salary parity with other peace agents, Goulet said. He’s asking the government to give the patrollers the same salaries it granted special constables in courts and bodyguards working to protect the province’s top elected officials.
“We’re asking the government to respect what it agreed to,” he said.
He said the buses that were pulled over were well in excess of the 8,000 kilograms permitted during the spring thaw period, where weight loads of all heavy vehicles are restricted.
“The buses we pulled over weighed around 9,200 and 9,600 kilograms and that was empty, so you could probably add a tonne or two when they are full,” he said.
Goulet added his union is concerned about overweight vehicles rolling on city streets during the spring thaw period, when roads are generally softer. He said it can cause the roads to degrade more quickly than usual.