The 2002 Annual report

The year 2002 saw the birth of the new city of Montreal, and as a result the STCUM became the STM. This new name did not change the company’s mission, and it continues to serve the same territory. This first year of operation within a new administrative framework has, however, been marked by numerous changes in the delivery of service to customers and by an increase in ridership of 8.3 million trips compared with the preceding year.

The bus system saw the creation or modification of several lines to respond more effectively to the needs of citizens, needs that are evolving with the years. Whether through the creation of new lines, modifications to routes or schedules, establishment of public taxis or financial partnerships with companies, the STM did everything in its power to ensure that customers of the bus system were better served than ever. The meaningful results of some of these improvements, line 148 – Métrobus Maurice-Duplessis for example, indicate that the company is really listening to its clientele and that it has a good understanding of where the needs lie. Major efforts have been dedicated to Paratransit with an additional $ 350,000 being invested at the end of the year so that this clientele would also benefit from better service.

The bus maintenance situation was reviewed, and procedures were improved in order to make the greatest possible number of vehicles fit for service. This exercise bore fruit with 99.31% of the planned service delivered during the year.

Things also ran smoothly with the metro system where more than one hour of service was added at night on line 5–blue, a decision that was welcomed by, among others, the students and management of the Université de Montréal. Not to mention that these students, along with other Montreal students aged 18 to 25 had already received quite a gift at the start of the year with the implementation of the Carte Privilège. This offer gave them a 50 % discount on the purchase of their monthly pass, a saving of $ 300 per year. As a result of actions undertaken in 2000, the number of crimes against a person in the metro was reduced by 45% in two years, and an ongoing awareness effort resulted in a significant reduction in the number of interruptions in service caused by the doors being held open.

But the metro also experienced its dark days, in particular during the Labour Day weekend when a break in a water pipe on line 4-yellow caused an interruption in service lasting more than 24 hours on this segment of the system. This incident demonstrated the importance of investing in the renovation and replacement of certain metro equipment that has reached the end of its useful life. The first cars were put into service in 1966 and were completely renovated at the beginning of the 1990s. All the metro systems around the world have, in fact, set the optimal life of their cars at 40 years. Those in the Montreal metro must be replaced as soon as possible in order to be able to continue to provide reliable service.

The necessary investments are huge, and the various levels of government will have to give their support to public transit and find new sources of financing that will enable us to maintain a heritage valued at more than five billion dollars and preserve the quality of service provided to Montrealers.

Make the choice of public transit. It’s a necessity!

The 2002 Annual report

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