155 STM buses were decommissioned. They are not interchangeable

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The city's transit agency has quietly laid off 155 buses, with no plans to replace them.

The board of the Société de Transport de Montréal decided this month to retire old diesel buses and articulated buses that have reached the end of their lives. Because they won't be replaced, the transit agency's total bus fleet will shrink to 1,855, according to an agenda item listed on the STM website. This is 190 fewer than the peak in the STM 2022 annual report, which had 2,044 buses in the fleet.

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The city's opposition leader dismissed the decision at Tuesday morning's city council meeting.

“I want to remind the mayor that his promise is to increase and put 300 additional buses into operation,” said Aref Salem.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante ordered 300 buses to increase the city's total fleet to 2,100 as one of her first actions after being elected. The goal of the acquisition was to increase bus service in Montreal by five percent.

Those buses were being delivered when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and while the city could suspend the order, Plante said it would be necessary to increase service after the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Plante said the Quebec government is to blame for not adequately funding transit.

“There is not one partner at the table,” he replied at the council.

This story will be updated.

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