As fall approaches, the STM is rolling out its planned bus service offering

Montréal, August 28, 2023 – As a very busy summer season on the network comes to a close, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced that it is rolling out its planned bus service offering, which delivers a 3% increase in service hours compared to last fall. Beginning today, dozens of bus lines will be affected by the increase.

Adjustments to bus service to meet user needs

As announced in May, around 75 bus lines (out of a total of 225) will be boosted with extra departures. At a time when employers are increasingly requiring workers to go back to the office, and students are returning to the network for the new school year, the adjustments will provide as many as over 30 additional departures on certain lines.

Increased ridership

Bus and metro ridership has grown since the beginning of the year. At present, ridership has reached nearly 77% of pre-pandemic levels. The return of major events, tourism and leisure activities was a big contributing factor to this growth over the summer. The STM is confident that this trend will continue into the fall. The organization forecasts that close to 1 million trips will be taken on an average weekday this fall. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the STM ranks 3rd among transit agencies in terms of ridership in Canada and the United States and 2nd for the metro network.

Trip planning

The STM offers user communication tools that are updated in real time to provide better predictability and facilitate trip planning.

Operations and planning teams are hard at work

The STM’s operations and planning teams, who ensure that the city’s bus service is delivered at all times, respond to a multitude of factors that are constantly changing. These factors include new travel habits, targeted and one-time adjustments to lines on a daily basis, and the on-the-ground realities of the urban environment.

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medias@stm.info