Martin C. Barry
As a best practice, many large public transit agencies around the world make their performance indicators available to the public as it often leads to more informed debate on transit issues.
For example, according to Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand, the Toronto Transit Commission routinely posts a report and updates from its CEO on the internet. However, in Montreal, says Rotrand, it’s a different story since the Société de Transport de Montréal makes far less information available on its web site.
Access to info request
Villeray/St-Michel/Parc Extension Borough Mayor Giuliana Fumagalli recently became involved in this issue when she filed an access to information request with the STM and she was provided with the transit agency’s principal indicators and results report for 2018.
According to the report, complaints at the STM went up significantly last year compared to 2017, while bus punctuality was less than 80 per cent most of the year.
They want changes made
“Elected officials shouldn’t have to use the access to info law to get an idea how a public agency partially funded by our tax money performs,” Rotrand says. He has tabled a new access to information request to obtain the January and February STM performance indicators.
In the meantime, Rotrand and Fumagalli have tabled a motion for the May 13 Montreal city council meeting, asking council to take the necessary measures to require the STM to regularly furnish its performance indicators to the public.