Montrealers who rely on public transit should brace themselves: the STM strike kicks off on September 22, and it’s about to make commutes a lot more complicated.
Maintenance employees with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) are walking out over contract issues, and the strike will last until October 5 unless a deal is reached. The Tribunal administratif du travail has ruled that only limited “essential services” have to remain in place, which means metro and bus service will be sharply reduced on certain days.
Here’s what that looks like.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, metro trains will only run during three time slots — 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., 2:45 to 5:45 p.m., and again from 11:00 p.m. until the last departures just after 1:00 a.m. On all other days, the metro will operate as usual.
Bus schedules follow a similar pattern. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, service remains normal. But on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, buses will also run in restricted windows:
- Service until 1:15 a.m.
- Back from 6:15 to 9:15 a.m.
- Again from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
- And finally from 11:15 p.m. until the end of the night.
Between those hours, no buses will depart, though the STM notes that most vehicles already on the road will complete their routes. Riders are urged to check real-time schedules online before heading out, since timing may vary by line.
For commuters, this means midday and evening trips on strike days will be especially tough to plan. If you normally depend on the metro or bus during those hours, you’ll need to leave early, find alternate routes, or brace for delays.
The reduced schedules are expected to stay in place through October 5 — unless last-minute negotiations change the picture.
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