Bus changes for REM irk some riders
Bus routes on the South Shore are changing when the first part of the REM opens but some of the changes are inconveniencing riders and costing them more money.
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Meezly 13:07 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Cancelling the two express buses seems to be extremely short-sighted, obvs penny-pinching and done without consulting commuters. For those who rely on the express buses, it must be incredibly infuriating, actually. It’s looking like a sure-fire way to drive people to buy cars, which goes against the whole point of improving public transport!
Kate 13:41 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Changing the bus routes when the lauded opening includes only a few REM stations is so stupid. Meezly, you’re right – it may persuade more people into cars.
Blork 14:10 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Cancelling of the express buses was, I think, one of the conditions of building the REM into Brossard. And wow, what a bad idea. All the eggs in one basket.
And what’s it going to be like at rush hour? Even with REM trains leaving the station every two minutes, they are not large trains, so I can imagine there will be huge lineups and packed trains. Not fun at all. And what happens if the line goes down at 7:15AM?
I also feel for the people who are switching from one bus to three (bus, REM, bus). It’s the changing of vehicles that makes public transit commuting dreary (and slow).
EmilyG 14:45 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Finally, someone’s reporting on how the REM will screw some people over.
I’m worried that the same thing will happen where I live in the West Island. Currently, I take an express bus to the metro, and that works well, and I wouldn’t want to have that taken away. (I also live fairly far from the nearest REM station.)
Spi 14:59 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Honestly many of you are over dramatizing the very specific situation for an incredibly limited number of workers. The people interviewed and the most “affected” are those that used the express busses but didn’t terminate at the Bonaventure bus depot so mostly #55 riders.
Reading these comments feels like time traveling back 4 years to when the project was first announced.
Kate 16:16 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Spi, yes, bus routes will have to change to allow for the REM, but there’s no point in changing bus routes to allow for REM stations that aren’t going to be operational till the end of the year, or sometime later. It’s just going to discourage people and send them back to their cars.
Spi 16:47 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Again, over-dramatizing, The Bernard-Landry-Griffintown station will be much more convenient for many users when it opens but it’s hardly a major inconvenience. We’re talking about a 10 minute walk from Gare Central to more or less where that station will be.
Again the only people that are really complaining are the few that didn’t ride the bus all the way to the terminus at Bonaventure, because there is no material difference between the current situation (getting off the bus at bonventure) and the future alternative until the Griffintown station opens (getting off the REM at Gare Central). So for the vast majority of the ridership you are literally talking about crossing the street from one building to the other.
Are there people affected negatively sure, do you continue to offer a structured and planned public transit service for that number of people? Probably not and that’s besides the point of the legal agreement that CDPQ struck about their being no competing public transit.
Paul 16:57 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Buses shouldn’t be cancelled until the Griffentown station is opened
Uatu 17:05 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
That’s in this news story. Yesterday on CBC Daybreak they interviewed a Brossard resident who wasn’t happy about losing his single seat ride into Bonaventure and if he felt that then others do as well. I’m trying to be positive because I’m locked into this system, but there’s nothing to really be happy about paying more and running to make connections. Sometimes like the guy they interviewed that could be as far as 250m between your bus stop at the terminal and the actual train platform. And then again when you get to central station for the metro or bus. Walking 10min. in the summer outside is great, but in a snowstorm or -20c is a PIA. And you’re paying more to do it. Anyway I will try to remain positive… riding a system designed by noncommuters from Quebec city. 😛
Kate 17:10 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
no competing public transit.
Yeah, that’s the priority.
Spi 17:12 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Why would you be running for your connection? Are people completely unaware of the what the actual service level will be? At rush hour we’re talking about a train departing every 2 minutes or so (intervals can be shorter), you don’t have to run to catch anything. Take your gingerly time if you want the most you’ll be waiting is a couple of minutes. Absolute want a seat for the 15 minute ride? Wait for the next train in 2 minutes.
People are so incredibly trapped in their ways, the new service gives you back an incredible amount freedom and flexibility because you’re no longer a slave to the public transit schedule (assuming the RTL makes good use of the busses they now have to run higher frequency routes).
Kate 17:30 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Spi, do you work for the REM or some connected agency?
Uatu 17:33 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Well I’m hoping they increase frequency because they sure as hell didn’t when they started up the 45. I just don’t want to return to waiting for 30min. in a shack surrounded by a bus parking lot that’s surrounded by a car parking lot …. I live in a TOD so I didn’t have to go through that but it looks like I’m back to it and told repeatedly that it’s an improvement to my life. Yeah sure.
Thomas 18:07 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Oh dear, more REM talk eh? Quite the situation we have here lol
As a pedestrian who attempted to get to work in the Cité du Multimédia near Bonaventure where hundreds of suburban buses would come barrelling into the city every morning, speeding and making turns in the most reckless manner possible and most certainly not taking any prisoners, the REM is a godsend.
The common case previously was to take a suburban bus to the downtown terminal that happened to be at Bonaventure, and now the common case will be to take a high-frequency light metro train to the downtown terminus that happens to be at Gare centrale. And soon, you’ll even have more options! McGill! Griffintown! Other places! And you can even travel at other times of day! Even the weekend!
It won’t be easy, but I think we as a metropolitan region can pull together and survive this terrible tragedy.
Ian 18:54 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Belittling people that bring up valid concerns about the bad decisions being made about infrastructure is counter-productive.
It’s funny how quickly the chirpy ideologues turn sour and paternalistic when they realize there is dissent.
Spi 20:27 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Sour and Paternalistic? I’ve been following the project very closely from the very beginning and the same disinformation and uninformed opinions/complaints have been repeated and disseminated during all these years on this blog, in news articles and elsewhere. It wasn’t more than a few months ago that the idea of “guaranteed” profits was brought up here again by a commenter when it’s been clarified more than once by myself or someone else that no such clause exists either in the contract or the “REM law”. The idea of a guaranteed profit stems from a poor (mis)understanding of the tiered profit sharing structure, that’s been repeated by uninformed people as the truth.
Pardon me if I don’t have the patience of mother Theresa, anyone with any sense of objectivety would see these “valid concerns” as nothing more than the inconvenience that a few riders might have endure for the greater benefits accrued to the large population.
Ian 21:44 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
Oh, I see. You just look down on actual commuters using the system.
There’s still no buses in the west end, Brossard will take longer and cost more …
PPP is the issue here, this new system is obviously for-profit first. Social good is important but only if it actually serves society – otherwise people won’t buy in. This is the crux. That our “leaders” turn to profit-driven solutions is worse than no help.
Gas has gone up 50 cents a litre since covid – if that didn’t make everyone start taking transit, we can safely assume that public transit with worse service at a higher price won’t do the trick.
DeWolf 22:04 on 2023-07-20 Permalink
For-profit transit systems can work pretty well. But they usually don’t have an enforced monopoly. And they certainly aren’t governed by a dysfunctional agency (ahem ARTM) that seems on a mission to sabotage public transit in Greater Montreal by whatever means possible. The fact that some feeder routes to the REM will be running less frequently than existing bridge routes is insane.
That said, I still think that when the REM is fully operational, regional transit in Montreal will be vastly improved. But it could be so much better – and all the different players seem determined not to as little as possible to actually make transit convenient and affordable.
steph 09:27 on 2023-07-21 Permalink
Have public transport volumes returned to pre-covid numbers? With more and more WFH, I imagine reducing frequency (modifying routes) to adjust to demand is expected at some point.
Daniel 11:20 on 2023-07-21 Permalink
Spi, you are out to lunch.