Mostly cribbed from last year's guide.
Here's what to expect from the Montreal-area transit authorities for service this holiday season, including special holiday service schedules and free service days.
Once again, I ask that you have some sympathy for the bus or metro driver who has to work during the holidays getting whiny vomiting drunk people from A to B in thick snow.
The Société de transport de Laval is using Google Maps to show detours of its bus routes. It has eight so far, including this latest one for the 144 bus. Not only does doing something like this look cool, but it opens up data that can be exported to other sources.
The STL is also using Twitter to notify users of transit alerts.
But these videos? Just give us the transcript, thanks.
Fresh off the media blitz of announcing their new user information system (including an in-house video) and a scandal involving alleged corruption (or at least the appearance of a conflict of interest), the Société de transport de Laval tabled its budget and announced its 2010 fare table.
Here's the skinny:
| 2009 | 2010 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single fare | $2.60 | $2.75 | +5.8% |
| 8 tickets (regular) | $18.50 (8x$2.31) | $18.75 (8x$2.34) | +1.4% |
| 8 tickets (reduced) | $13 (8x$1.56) | $13.25 (8x$1.66) | +1.9% |
| Monthly pass (regular) | $76.50 | $78 | +2.0% |
| Monthly pass (intermediate) | $61 | $62.50 | +2.5% |
| Monthly pass (reduced) | $46 | $47 | +2.2% |
The STL is also throwing a carrot to its regular users, offering a month free if they sign up for automatic payment of their passes on the Opus card for 12 months.
They're also offering a one-time rebate worth one monthly pass for people getting a monthly pass on the Opus card for the first time.
Late November has always been transit fare increase season, as the various agencies rush to approve fare hikes in time to give users the requisite 30-day notice.
But in the past couple of years, the transit agencies have been lazy, pushing late November into early December, giving people only a few weeks to prepare.
Now, this may seem trivial. In the past, the only real effect of cutting it this close has been printing monthly passes without prices on them (AA$ and BB$) for January and February. But it seems just another disrespect of users for these transit agencies to not follow their own rules.
La Presse points out that the STM and RTL haven't yet given notice of their fares for 2009, the STL didn't respond to say whether or not it had, and the AMT has apparently given notice to the government but not its users about fares for 2010.
The 30 days notice comes from Quebec's law concerning public transit corporations, section 90:
Titres de transport.
90. Une société établit, par règlement, différents titres de transport et en fixe les tarifs selon les modalités et pour les catégories d'usagers qu'elle détermine.
Tarifs.
Le secrétaire publie ces tarifs dans un journal diffusé dans le territoire de la société et les affiche dans les véhicules de la société. Ils entrent en vigueur le trentième jour qui suit cette publication ou à toute autre date ultérieure qui y est fixée.
Entrée en vigueur accélérée.
Cependant, lorsque la société est d'avis que des circonstances exceptionnelles le justifient, les tarifs peuvent entrer en vigueur à compter du dixième jour de leur publication pourvu qu'elle publie également les motifs de sa décision.
2001, c. 23, a. 90.
It's unclear if the transit agencies are ignoring the law, if this law somehow doesn't apply to them (or maybe I've read it wrong) or they're using that "exceptional circumstances" rule.
One thing is clear, as far as public notice goes, this is becoming a habit. Last year, the RTL, STL and AMT all announced fare schedules less than 30 days before Jan. 1. Only the STM announced its fares in November.
There are no exceptional circumstances. We should have fare tables by now.
Last year's guide seems to have been well received, so I'm doing it again.
Here's what to expect from the Montreal-area transit authorities for service this holiday season, including special holiday service schedules and free service days.
Once again, I ask that you have some sympathy for the bus or metro driver who has to work during the holidays getting whiny vomiting drunk people from A to B in thick snow.
The STL today announced its fare table for 2009, with moderate increases in fares (though La Presse is all up about side issues including increasing the limit on intermediate fare eligibility from 22 to 25 years old, and reducing the single fare to $1 on smog days).
Here's the skinny:
| 2008 | 2009 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single fare | $2.50 | $2.60 | +4% |
| 8 tickets (regular) | $18 (8x$2.25) | $18.50 (8x$2.31) | +2.8% |
| 8 tickets (reduced) | $12.50 (8x$1.56) | $13.00 (8x$1.63) | +4% |
| Monthly pass (regular) | $74 | $76.50 | +3.4% |
| Monthly pass (intermediate) | $59 | $61 | +3.4% |
| Monthly pass (reduced) | $44.50 | $46 | +3.4% |
The STM announced its fare schedule two weeks ago. Still waiting on AMT and RTL, though you'd think they'd give the customary 30 days' notice.
An eagle-eyed netizen tells me that Google's Transit service, which allows you to choose "by public transit" when finding directions via Google Maps, has been updated to include route and departure information for the STM's buses and metro.
For an example, here's a route by public transit from Fairview Pointe-Claire (where all the anglos hang out, didn't you know?) to The Gazette's offices on Ste. Catherine St. downtown. (Et, bien sûr, c'est aussi disponible en français)
The service, which is also available in Vancouver, Ottawa, Fredericton and dozens of U.S. cities, and had previously included AMT train service (which was much easier since there are much fewer departures to put in a database), is effectively a competitor to the STM's existing Tous Azimuts service, which although revolutionary when it was introduced is now over a decade old and doesn't meet today's usability standards. Google Transit is slicker, faster and easier to use.
Like Tous Azimuts, Google Transit suggests alternate routes, says how long they'll take, and provides the time of departure and arrival of each bus or metro.
This is no simple undertaking. Google requires the transit agency to provide a database of all departures for all routes in a specific format. We're talking thousands and thousands of departures here.
This might also make other third-party STM trip-planning services obsolete, as Google Maps becomes a must-have application for cellphones.
UPDATE: I'm told by a helpful reader below that this also includes off-island transit networks like the Société de transport de Laval and the AMT-administered CITs, but not the south shore RTL network yet RTL data just went live so it now includes all the networks.
UPDATE (Oct. 29): Google, the STM, STL, RTL and AMT are making the joint announcement today, 10am at Google's Montreal HQ (1253 McGill College) (Thanks Jean). Google Transit has already been updated to list all the transit agencies in the area (thanks Dumitru).
Expect media coverage of the new service during the evening news. Some technology media are already covering it. UPDATE: more pieces from The Gazette, Branchez-Vous and RadCan. And Tristan Péloquin has some background about this project.
Google has also setup a special page with an introductory video in French and English, thought the English version has a British narrator and uses New York as an example.
As the holidays approach fast, radio stations are switching to all-Christmas-music formats, malls are packed with desperate last-minute shoppers, and TV starts to suck really bad.
What better time to contemplate that most exciting of holiday traditions: complicated transit service schedules!
Fear not folks. Below is a day-by-day guide to what you can come to expect from the Montreal-area transit networks. Take a glance at it if you're planning to take a bus anywhere near Christmas or New Year's this year.
And have a bit of sympathy for that bus driver who has to spend midnight on New Year's Eve stuck at a traffic light handing out transfers.
Following the STM/STL transit fare increases announced last week, the Agence métropolitaine de transport has put out its list. Fare increases for monthly passes range between 1.0% and 3.8%:
| Adult fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Intermediate fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Reduced fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | |
| TRAM 1 (Downtown Montreal) | $77.00 | $74.50 | 3.4% | $61.50 | $59.50 | 3.4% | $46.00 | $44.50 | 3.4% |
| TRAM 2 (Midwest/ mideast/ North Montreal) | $90.00 | $87.00 | 3.4% | $72.00 | $69.50 | 3.6% | $54.00 | $52.00 | 3.8% |
| TRAM 3 (Longueuil, Laval, Far West/East island) | $105.00 | $103.00 | 1.9% | $84.00 | $82.50 | 1.8% | $63.00 | $62.00 | 1.6% |
| TRAM 4 (Ile Perrot, La Prairie) | $115.00 | $113.00 | 1.8% | $92.00 | $90.50 | 1.7% | $69.00 | $68.00 | 1.5% |
| TRAM 5 (Vaudreuil/Dorion, Chateauguay, Kahnawake, north shore, Repentigny, Sainte-Julie, Saint-Constant, St. Bruno) | $133.00 | $131.00 | 1.5% | $106.00 | $105.00 | 1.0% | $80.00 | $78.50 | 1.9% |
| TRAM 6 (St. Hilaire, Mercier, Hudson/Rigaud, Blainville) | $159.00 | $156.00 | 1.9% | $127.00 | $125.00 | 1.6% | $95.50 | $93.50 | 2.1% |
| TRAM 7 (Mirabel, Oka, St. Sulpice, lower St. Jerome) | $185.00 | $182.00 | 1.6% | $148.00 | $146.00 | 1.4% | $111.00 | $109.00 | 1.8% |
| TRAM 8 (upper St. Jerome, Valleyfield, St. Hyacinthe, Sorel) | $211.00 | $207.00 | 1.9% | $169.00 | $166.00 | 1.8% | $127.00 | $124.00 | 2.4% |
STM (Montreal):
| Adult fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Reduced fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | |
| Monthly CAM | $66.25 | $65 | 1.9% | $36 | $35 | 2.9% |
| Weekly CAM Hebdo | $19.25 | $19 | 1.3% | $11 | $10.75 | 2.3% |
| Six tickets | $12 | $11.75 | 2.1% | $6.50 | $6.25 | 4% |
| Cash fare | $2.75 | $2.75 | No change | $1.75 | $1.75 | No change |
| Tourist card (3 days) | $17.00 | $17.00 | No change | |||
| Tourist card (1 day) | $9.00 | $9.00 | No change |
STL (Laval):
| Adult fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Intermediate fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Reduced fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | |
| Monthly pass | $74 | $72.50 | 2.1% | $59.00 | $58.00 | 1.7% | $44.50 | $43 | 3.5% |
| Eight tickets | $18 | $21 | -14% | $12.50 | $12.25 | 2.0% | |||
| Cash fare | $2.50 | $3.00 | -17% | (None?) | $1.80 | ? |
Still no word from the RTL about Longueuil rates for 2008.
UPDATE (Dec. 18): Finally the RTL releases their 2008 rates. The increase is substantial, especially for reduced fare monthly passes.
| Adult fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Reduced fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | |
| Monthly pass | $76 | $73 | 4.1% | $45 | $42 | 7.1% |
| Six tickets | $15.50 | $15 | 3.3% | $9.25 | $8.90 | 3.9% |
| Cash fare | $3.25 | $3.25 | No change | $2 | $2 | No change |
It's about to hit December, which means it's that time of year when the STM announces its fare increases for the coming year. It's required to give 30 days notice of fare increases, so that's why it happens now.
The skinny:
| Adult fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Reduced fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | |
| Monthly CAM | $66.25 | $65 | 1.9% | $36 | $35 | 2.9% |
| Weekly CAM Hebdo | $19.25 | $19 | 1.3% | $11 | $10.75 | 2.3% |
| Six tickets | $12 | $11.75 | 2.1% | $6.50 | $6.25 | 4% |
| Cash fare | $2.75 | $2.75 | No change | $1.75 | $1.75 | No change |
| Tourist card (3 days) | $17.00 | $17.00 | No change | |||
| Tourist card (1 day) | $9.00 | $9.00 | No change |
The STM argues that these fare increases are modest (average of 1.9%, and lower than last year's increases), and combined with a hefty increase in the amount Montreal is giving the corporation will help pay for increased capital expenditures and better services, some of which have already been announced or implemented. These include:
| Adult fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | Reduced fare (Jan. 1, 2008) |
Now | Increase | |
| Monthly pass | $74 | $72.50 | 2.1% | ? | $43.00 | ? |
| Eight tickets | $18 | $21 | -14% | ? | $12.25 | ? |
| Cash fare | $2.50 | $3.00 | -17% | ? | $1.80 | ? |
The Laval transit corporation, meanwhile, is going in the opposite direction, reducing its single-use fares. A single fare will now be $2.50 instead of $3. There will also be cute little incentives like increasing the age at which children can travel freely from 5 to 11 on weekends and holidays.
The decrease makes sense, especially because now it's cheaper to take the metro from Montmorency to downtown Montreal ($2.75) than it is to take an STL bus down the street ($3). The change will reverse that. (The fact that neither STL nor STM tickets are valid at the Laval metro stations is still a huge annoyance though.)
On the other hand, the price of a monthly pass is going up, from $72.50 to $74. This changes the math of how often you have to use transit for the monthly pass to be worth your purchase. Right now, if you use public transit fewer than 28 times a month (14 round trips), it's better off to get tickets. That number goes up to 33 (16.5 round trips). So in the unlikely event that you travel by bus exactly 14, 15 or 16 times a month, you're now better off getting tickets than passes.
The STL is also dramatically reducing fares on smog days to just $1, if a smog warning is in effect as of 3pm. That sounds great and all, but it takes effect during the evening rush hour, when people either have their cars at work with them or they don't. It will also require some system to inform travellers (and drivers) when the reduction takes place.
Still no word from the AMT, which controls prices of regional transit passes, on what its 2008 rates will be.
Midnight Poutine has a rant-post about something I've heard a couple of times recently: when taking a trip that spans two transit networks, it's treated as two separate trips, and you're charged full-price for each.
So imagine someone taking public transit from western Laval to Brossard. That person would have to take an STL bus ($3), the metro ($2.75), and an RTL bus ($3.25). Total cost: $9.
We have, thanks to the Agence métropolitaine de transport, a "zone" monthly pass, which allows unlimited travel in multiple transit networks at a price considerably below what you'd pay for the different network's passes individually. Why can't we do something about individual trips to save people some money?
Part of the STM's plan as they introduce a smart card system next year will be to be able to control zoning better. This will probably mean that a trip between downtown and the West Island will cost more than a trip within the downtown area. Hopefully this might also mean it'll cost less than $9 to cross three transit networks on a single trip.
For those of you confused (and you should be, the media hasn't been very clear on this), public transit is free throughout the STM and STL networks, including the metro and its three new stations.
Little mentioned so far is that the AMT will be running special free trains from the De la Concorde metro to Saint-Jerome to celebrate its new intermodal station. The line, which normally only runs on weekdays, will have four special round trips during the day Saturday and Sunday.
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