Montreal's new REM not as accessible as it claims to be, users say

Julien Gascon-Samson moved to Nun's Island in part because he could use the new light-rail train, known as the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), to get to work in downtown Montreal.

Gascon-Samson, who uses a motorized scooter, was stoked to hear that the REM branded itself as fully accessible, but was quickly disillusioned.

He says it is "officially impossible" to use the REM daily as the elevators often break down and there are few motorized doors in many stations. Most stations only have one elevator, leaving no alternative if it stops working.

"For example, the central station elevators haven't been functioning for the last two weeks. It's really problematic," he said.

Gascon-Samson says he even got stuck in an elevator more than once.

Two weeks ago, he took the REM to have dinner with his father, but the elevator wasn't working by the time he needed to get home. He says he had to wait two hours to get picked up by adapted transportation.

"We can expect an outage once in a while. It's normal. But two weeks straight and consistent outages at different stations [is] not acceptable," he said.

"I feel like I'm losing out."

There's also no direct connection to the Montreal Metro system by elevator, and the main entrance to Gare Centrale station doesn't have a motorized door, which forces Gascon-Samson to use an entrance two blocks away.

The REM says the building was not designed to meet universal mobility needs and people can check its website to see if elevators are working.

Gascon-Samson says he wants better communication on the part of the REM and more transit options since many bus routes were changed when the light-rail train opened.

'It's humiliating'

Zoë Belk agrees.

She takes her two-year-old son to daycare in Montreal from the South Shore daily, and says her commute changed drastically since the REM started operating.

She used to be able to take a bus down the street that would carry her to the nearest EXO bus station, and from there she could get to Gare Centrale station and walk to her son's daycare. But the EXO network changed its routes in her sector and few buses fit her son's stroller as most of them are coach or low-floor buses.

"It's really frustrating. It's really humiliating also to not be able to take the bus on my own, I'm a grown-up," she said.

"Now I need to ask my husband or my dad to help me or hope a stranger will take pity on me and help."

She says she once waited 40 to 50 minutes — enough time for eight buses to pass — before an accessible one came.

"It's really had a huge impact on my day," she said.

She hopes for better maintenance at REM stations and more accessible EXO buses.

Jean-Maxime St‑Hilaire, an EXO spokesperson, said that should happen by 2025 as the network doesn't currently own its buses and relies on third parties.

"When we were created only six years ago, we inherited a lot of bus operating contracts that did not have accessibility requirements. From now on, EXO wants to change that," he said.

All new EXO buses will have accessibility requirements when its current contracts end, and there will be no coach buses.

For Belk and Gascon-Samson, better solutions need to be adopted quickly.