In order to receive their feedback on how to best improve service, the STM is contacting municipalities throughout the West Island.
The first people to receive invitations are elected leaders and locals from Baie-D’Urfé, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, and Senneville.
Officials at Montreal’s largest public transit agency are hoping to learn how they can better meet the needs of their clients but also to prepare for the arrival of the REM, Montreal’s future all-electric light rail service.
By the end of 2024, the train line to the West Island is anticipated to be operational.
STM president Éric Alan Caldwell told Global News on Thursday, “We have to reassess all of our bus lines in light of them being connected to the REM.”
According to Caldwell, rerouting some buses so they serve as feeders to the next REM stations is the goal of the consultation process.
The idea has the approval of the mayor of Senneville, but she also wants the STM phone app, which allowed commuters to reserve taxi-buses to larger STM bus terminals or the train station, to be reinstated.
The mayor of Senneville, Julie Brisebois, said to Global News, “I’m definitely going to advocate for that to come back to life.”
Senneville does not have a regular bus service, and the most of the homes are single-family homes that are dispersed across sizable lots.
Some locals question if expanding the transit options in this area would be worthwhile.
What are going to do? Are shuttle buses going to run every 15 minutes, every half-hour, or every hour? People don’t have the time to wait, in my opinion,” Anders Lafon told Global News.
Making ensuring that the industrial park’s public transit service is improved is one of the major challenges in Baie-D’Urfé. Buses are sporadic and many employers tell the mayor more service would help.
They sincerely want better access for their personnel to enter and exit the site. Heidi Ektvedt, mayor of Baie-D’Urfé, spoke with Global News.
According to the STM, the West Island of Montreal has the island’s highest car usage. Currently, a number of STM bus services and the exo commuter rail line serve Montreal’s western region. Many people are hoping that when the REM is added in a few years, it will provide a third option, helping to persuade more people to leave their automobiles at home.
West Island of Montreal STM transit talks are in progress.
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