I was going to have my usual quarterly post analyzing changes to the STM’s bus schedules, which take effect today, but:
- I didn’t have time
- There aren’t many changes, besides already-announced service improvements
- The Gazette’s Linda Gyulai Max Harrold writes about those in this morning’s paper
At the top of the list (PDF) is the 105 Sherbrooke, which gets a much-needed 26% increase in service during rush hour.
For those who take the 55 north during rush hour, like me, seems like there’s fewer buses, not more.
seeing as I take the 105 everyday I’m very happy to hear this. Let’s hope they actually act on it.
I sure hope this will be an improvement. So far the 535 line has been the same as before, full.
Tomorrow with the expected snowstorm should be a pleasure. The problem is that our city does not work like a well oiled machine. Each department works for its’ own mandate not thinking how each affects the other.
For smooth snow removal and traffic fluidity we need more police out on the roads during storms. I do not see a single cop car go by during a storm, not one. Coincidence?
The cops need to get out of their cars and direct traffic at the gridlocked intersections. There are always the idiots on their phones, living like they are an island and no one is more important stuck in the middle of an intersection clueless to the backed up traffic they caused. Fine their asses and then get the traffic moving. The buses will flow more easily and the clean up crews will get the work done. Also this one island one city think is a crock. I still see clean up crews going to the “border” of previous cities, turning around and going back, why not clean the sidewalks of the “other”city, borough or whatever we call them now.
Walk along Bernard street after a storm, look west from Hutchinson, then look east,’nuff said.
There are less buses on the 55 northbound during AM-PM rush hours, since Jan. 5th, compared to the Sept. 1st schedule.
Here are the facts (based on the info from the St-Laurent / St-Jacques terminal) :
5h10-7h00 : same number of trips (6)
7h00-8h00 : 1 less trip (from 7 to 6)
8h00-11h00 : 1 less trip (from 13 to 12)
11h00-14h30 : 1 more trip (from 22 to 23)
14h30-18h19 : 1 less trip (from 27 to 26)
18h19-23h48 : 1 more trip (from 17 to 18)
Overall total for one weekday : 1 less trip (from 92 to 91). About a 1% decrease in the northbound level of service.
On the southbound side, the situation is different. Three extra trips overall, in a weekday.
5h10-6h30 : same (5)
6h30-8h00 : same (9)
8h00-11h30 : 2 more trips (from 19 to 21)
11h30-14h50 : same (20)
14h50-18h15 : 1 more trip (from 20 to 21)
18h15-00h30 : same (14)
Overall total for one weekday : 3 extra trips (from 87 to 90). The southbound level of service has been levelled with the northbound one (decreased from 92 to 90 trips).
I take the 8am 103 or 162 to work from Metro Villa Maria to work every morning. Last year the 103 was 75% reliable and the 162 was 100% reliable at 8am.
This week, the new year, 2 out of 3 days, there are no buses, period! No 103, no 162, no nada. And they talked about improvement on 103??? What’s going on here???
The 535 line does not seem much improved either. Buses are still showing up in clusters, miss a group of three or four and you have to wait a long time in the cold for another barrage. The last bus in the convoy is usually empty of passengers while the first two are like cans of sardines. I do not in any way blame the bus drivers, their bosses are simply amateurs. This is the problem with all of Quebec Inc. as it used to be called. Big pie in the sky dreams with no real follow through. How long have we been talking about super hospitals? How about all the bridges falling down? Power failures in a province that is known for Hydro! How about the water mains exploding all over the city, the always in your face potholes, slippery sidewalks, flooding sewers, garbage filled streets. The fish is rotting from the head down. Too much cronyism, to much fat old white men stuffing their pockets. It is time we fired them all, wiped the slate clean and started all over. Did you know that we have more councilors in Montreal City hall than bigger cities in the U.S? How is that efficient? Where is our mayor? We only see him when cops shoot people, which by the way is another problem that could easily be solved. Clean up our parks, add lights for the evenings, have cops walking around the parks and actually engaging with the population, instead of being the big tough burly thugs they are seen as. The city is not proactive only reactive when it is too late. Wow that went on a tangent???
@Patrick
The problems you’ve had have nothing to do with the new scheduling. You may have noticed 25 cm of snow on the ground…. That’s why the buses are late / none existent. I take the 64 on a daily basis and saw 3 canceled departures in a row yesterday.