Transit Hikes Hit Montreal’s Workers

Transit prices are on the rise for Montrealers again. Off-island riders in Laval and the South Shore looking to commute to the Island of Montreal, will now be paying $5.25 instead of $3.50, as of July 1.

Monthly opus cards also faced hikes – rising from $90.50 a month to $94. Mayor Valerie Plante promised reduced fares for the working class among other big promises for transit in her 2017 election campaign, but did her administration deliver? 

With higher fares, this could encourage people to use cars instead of transit, a move which could increase emissions at a time when anything but drastic cuts means global climate disaster.

What promises did Montreal's municipal party Projet Montreal make during their 2017 campaign?

Valerie Plante and her team promised metro expansions, adding 300 buses to the STM network and making all public transit buses fully electric by 2025. Additionally, they promised free transit for seniors and children under 12. They also promised that low income riders would receive 40% off monthly passes. So how well has PM done on delivering these promises?

Vincent Obry-Legros, civil engineering MA student at Polytechnique specialized in Transportation says Projet Montreal completed half of their promises, which is a win for the party. He says he doesn't think they could have done more because they rely on funding from the provincial government.

Taylor C. Noakes, independent journalist and public historian, says that without getting into metro expansion projects, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) or other future projects, Montreal already has excellent metro system compared to other North American cities. "It's spectacular," said Noakes, adding that especially since its for 1.7 million people.

He said a fault of the city is focusing on building more metro stations, with the blue line expansion as an example. He said they should focus more money on electric buses instead of metros, as Montreal has an abundance of access to hydroelectric power and buses are made locally.