A few weeks back, we asked STM riders across Montreal to list their biggest pet peeves with the mass transit system. While we got plenty of responses about cleanliness and accessibility, safety concerns were barely mentioned.
But as it turns out, Montrealers who feel worried riding the metro these days are not imagining things. A new memo released by the STM confirms a sharp rise in disorder, drug use, and safety concerns, painting a troubling picture of Montreal’s transit system.
According to data in the report, released on February 18, calls about disorderly conduct have surged 40% in just one year, rising from 14,540 in 2022 to 18,807 in 2023, and then jumping to 26,298 in 2024.
Customer complaints about safety are up by 18%, climbing from 1,062 in 2022 to 1,438 in 2023, and reaching 1,695 in 2024.
Meanwhile, calls related to drug use have skyrocketed by 166%, going from 1,055 in 2022 to 807 in 2023, then spiking to 2,150 in 2024.
Unsurprisingly, Montrealers’ sense of security has taken a major hit. By January 2025, it hit an all-time low, with the STM reporting only half of its commuters felt truly safe while using its services.
It’s not just passengers noticing the shift, though. STM security and maintenance staff are now regularly requesting escorts just to do their jobs. Criminal assaults on staff, including physical attacks, threats, and intimidation, rose by 9% in 2024, reaching a total of 382 incidents.
The STM, which has increased its security budget over the past two years, claims that a big part of the problem comes from the fact that the metro has become a last-resort shelter for vulnerable populations due to a lack of emergency services. And while transit officials acknowledge the reality of the situation, they also stress that this isn’t sustainable.
“The metro has unfortunately become the overflow unit for the most vulnerable people who fall through the cracks of the social safety net,” said Éric Alan Caldwell, Chairman of the STM’s Board of Directors. “The reality is that the STM can no longer be a last-resort refuge. It is unacceptable to consider the metro as a good place for these individuals.”
The crisis is also disrupting transit operations. In 2024 alone, 520 service interruptions were caused by individuals on the tracks, accounting for 28% of all metro delays. Meanwhile, an increase in the presence of human waste and used syringes in stations continues to pose challenges for both customers and employees.
A 2022 report from Centraide of Greater Montreal found that the population of people experiencing visible homelessness in Quebec has tripled over the past ten years, with totals surpassing 10,000. Nearly half (47%) of those individuals can be found in Montreal.
As a result, the STM is now sounding the alarm, pushing for immediate government intervention before things get even worse. In its recent open letter to the Office de Consultation Publique de Montréal (OCPM), the transit authority laid out a few urgent recommendations:
- More funding for health and social services to stop the metro from being a place for those with nowhere else to go.
- More supervised drug consumption sites near metro stations to curb public use.
- A stronger security presence to manage increasing disorderly conduct and violent incidents.
- A real long-term plan for vulnerable populations that doesn’t involve treating the metro as a replacement for housing solutions.
“With a fragile balance in our stations and a declining sense of security among our customers and employees, the situation is untenable. Without significant changes in the care of vulnerable individuals, we will no longer be able to show the same level of tolerance in our network,” added Marie-Claude Léonard, STM’s CEO.
The transit network emphasized that “the metro is not a shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and the STM has a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for both its customers and employees,” and that the STM “cannot continue to be the solution to this social crisis.”
The question now is whether the government will step up before more riders start avoiding the metro altogether.
