Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Montreal’s public transit agency is implementing new measures to increase the reliability of its buses in hopes of attracting more passengers.
According to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), Montreal has the largest number of reserved bus routes in the world, with approximately 350 kilometers of networked routes.
Still, it’s looking to add another 11 kilometers, STM spokeswoman Isabelle Tremblay said.
“We try to make our bus network more efficient every year,” she said.
The STM is looking to add more reserved bus lanes in various areas, such as Papineau Street, Notre-Dame Street West, and Ray-Lawson Boulevard, this summer. Those extra lanes can reduce travel times by 5 to 20 percent during rush hour, Tremblay said.
“We want to improve the customer experience in terms of respecting the schedule, in terms of not being stuck in traffic, if that’s possible,” she said.
The public transport organization Trajectoire Quebec has been advocating for more reserved bus routes for years
“At the same time, you improve the services and you can save money because you will have to [fewer] Buses and bus drivers to give the same amount of services,” said Trajectoire Quebec board member François Pepin.
It’s also less expensive to implement, Tremblay said.
“These measures are pretty easy to implement and they don’t cost a lot of money,” she said.
Other measures, such as rapid bus routes, cost more. The $300+ million Pie-IX utility line is still under construction.
Another line should be built on Henri-Bourassa Avenue by 2027.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/stm-to-add-new-reserved-bus-lanes-hoping-to-attract-more-riders-1.6934931
