Expect longer commutes, crowded buses and Metros if strike happens, STM says
For several days, bus and Metro service would be reduced to peak hours only
Montreal's public transit authority says it would be important for people to plan ahead when commuting starting next week, as a looming strike promises to severely disrupt its bus and Metro services.
"We suggest to set aside twice as much time as usual to get around," said Marie-Claude Léonard, the executive director of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), during a news conference on Wednesday morning.
"During the service hours, there will be crowding."
Léonard also suggested that people use other transportation methods, such as biking or walking, if possible.
Earlier this week, Quebec's labour tribunal ruled that about 2,400 STM workers who do maintenance work on the city's buses and Metro cars can go on strike from June 9 at 12 a.m. to June 17 at 11:59 p.m.
Exceptions were made, however, mainly during peak hours, a brief time window during the night and to account for the influx of tourists and increase in traffic during Grand Prix weekend.
The union representing the workers and the STM agreed to only provide services during peak hours and later in the night on June 9, 10 and 11. For June 16 and 17, there would be service during those same windows and, outside of those hours, the frequency of buses and Metro cars would be reduced by 50 per cent.
The reduced services outside of the peak hours would also apply to June 12, but the peak-hour windows on that day would be slightly bigger.
For the Grand Prix weekend, between June 13 and June 15, there would be full service. Both the STM and the union say preserving the regular service on those days is necessary for public safety reasons.
The STM said the strike would not affect adapted transit nor school shuttles.
The transit agency also clarified that it would not be reimbursing or offering financial compensation to monthly pass holders or those with weekly passes that have already been validated.
STM service limited to rush hour and late evenings on June 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17:
Metro:
• 6:30 a.m. to 9:38 a.m.
• 2:45 p.m. to 5:48 p.m.
• 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Bus:
• 6:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
• 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
Outside of the hours listed above, the bus and Metro frequency would also be reduced by 50 per cent on June 16 and 17. There would be no bus and Metro service outside of the peak hours for June 9, 10 and 11 and access to the Metro will be closed, making those the most challenging strike days for commuters.
STM service offered on June 12, the eve of Canadian Grand Prix weekend:
Metro:
• 6:30 a.m. to 10:38 a.m.
• 2:45 p.m. to 6:48 p.m.
• 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Bus:
• 6:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
• 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
The bus and Metro frequency would also be reduced by 50 per cent outside of these hours.
Montreal's light-rail train network, the REM, has relied on buses from the STM and the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) to provide shuttle buses outside of its current service schedule that ends at around 8:30 p.m. The STM says the shuttle bus it provides for REM users would only be available between 11:15 p.m. and 1:15 a.m.
The STM says it will use its apps as well as its social media platforms to keep transit users updated on the service level and people should watch for updates on the the web page it launched that's dedicated to the strike.
"We really are aware of the significant impact of this strike on our customers," Léonard said. "We are doing everything in our power to minimize these impacts."
According to the STM, it provides 1.1 million trips per day.
The state of public transit funding
The maintenance workers are with the Syndicat du transport de Montréal, a union that is under the massive umbrella of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) labour federation.
Its members are asking for better working conditions and for the transit authority to scale back on outsourcing.
Their collective agreement expired in January and negotiations began more than a year ago.
The STM is also negotiating with three other unions, including one that represents bus and Metro car drivers who just voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. That union has not yet decided on strike dates.
The challenges in funding public transit in recent years serve as a backdrop to the ongoing negotiations, with the STM's executive director saying the transit authority is in "a period of major change and must evolve" to become a less costly service to taxpayers.
"The status quo is not an option," said Léonard. "Everyone must do their part."
This year, the amount of money collected from drivers in the greater Montreal area to fund public transit jumped from $60 to 150$.
In 2023, Quebec mayors, including Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, engaged in a public dispute with Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault over the state of public transit funding and the province's reluctance to absorb the transit agencies' deficits.
At the time, Guilbault said those agencies had projected deficits of $2.5 billion over five years.
On Tuesday, Bruno Jeannotte, the president of the union for STM maintenance workers, said "we're willing to negotiate certain points but not on the issue of subcontracting or privatizing the STM's public systems.
Léonard said the STM has proposed to the union using a third party in negotiations.
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With files from Radio-Canada