I live and work on the west island so I have no need to use this BRT but I have been meaning to go and check it out just the same. I do like your idea of additional BRT lanes to expand this network. The idea of increasing frequency is also good; though, operating budgets are not getting improved due to the CAQ preferring cars over transit, so it is doubtful we'll see an increased frequency, better weekend or overnight service any time soon.
Excellent article, Reece! I agree that the Pie-IX BRT does a great job of allowing buses to travel fast and unimpeded by car traffic.
What disappoints me about it is that is was presented as a transformative mega-project and that it took 13 years to complete from the time it was first announced in 2009, when in reality it’s just articulated buses travelling in dedicated lanes.
It was promised that the Pie-IX BRT would be just like a metro, but with buses. In reality, while the buses on the Pie-IX BRT are frequent at peak hours on weekdays, off-peak they come less frequently than the metro. And on weekends, the 439 on the Pie-IX BRT is only in service from 8am to 6pm! This will hopefully be changed soon, but it goes without saying that having no service after 6pm on weekends is crazy and is absolutely not “like a metro, but with buses”.
The fact that the BRT stations have no ticket machines is also disappointing. And considering how much time and money has gone into this project, I think ticket machines at every station, off-board payment, and real level-boarding (without the need to deploy a ramp to allow wheelchair users to get on the bus) would have been great to include.
Excellent points made here. I believe trolley buses weren’t chosen because former city administration and maybe current don’t have the courage it takes to confront public feelings or misunderstanding of aerial wires, perceived as visual pollution like the wiring we had beginning of last century. But we still have our electric cables on post in dense urbanized area, go figure.
I don’t see trolley buses coming anytime soon on any new brt projects as the provincial government may 2023 “force fed, one model for all” electric battery buses to every public transit societies in Quebec by placing the order themselves for 1229 buses from Novabus. It makes better public announcement where provincial government creates jobs and spend billions but for public transit doesn’t mean they needed those specific electric battery powered buses.
You made the point trolley buses are far more efficient on brt if you want electric powered vehicles, and can be unplugged fully charged to cover extra routes or reach the maintenance facilities. For the next brts, we’ll use what we’ll get, battery powered buses that we have to remove from the line to charge. Polluting with larger batteries and damaging the road bed with heavyweight buses.
Public transit are under pressure in Quebec for funding and under scrutiny for performance but still provincial government force means on them that won’t improve the current situation, lack of efficient transportation. For political gain over common sense and ultimately common good.
I live and work on the west island so I have no need to use this BRT but I have been meaning to go and check it out just the same. I do like your idea of additional BRT lanes to expand this network. The idea of increasing frequency is also good; though, operating budgets are not getting improved due to the CAQ preferring cars over transit, so it is doubtful we'll see an increased frequency, better weekend or overnight service any time soon.
Excellent article, Reece! I agree that the Pie-IX BRT does a great job of allowing buses to travel fast and unimpeded by car traffic.
What disappoints me about it is that is was presented as a transformative mega-project and that it took 13 years to complete from the time it was first announced in 2009, when in reality it’s just articulated buses travelling in dedicated lanes.
It was promised that the Pie-IX BRT would be just like a metro, but with buses. In reality, while the buses on the Pie-IX BRT are frequent at peak hours on weekdays, off-peak they come less frequently than the metro. And on weekends, the 439 on the Pie-IX BRT is only in service from 8am to 6pm! This will hopefully be changed soon, but it goes without saying that having no service after 6pm on weekends is crazy and is absolutely not “like a metro, but with buses”.
The fact that the BRT stations have no ticket machines is also disappointing. And considering how much time and money has gone into this project, I think ticket machines at every station, off-board payment, and real level-boarding (without the need to deploy a ramp to allow wheelchair users to get on the bus) would have been great to include.
Excellent points made here. I believe trolley buses weren’t chosen because former city administration and maybe current don’t have the courage it takes to confront public feelings or misunderstanding of aerial wires, perceived as visual pollution like the wiring we had beginning of last century. But we still have our electric cables on post in dense urbanized area, go figure.
I don’t see trolley buses coming anytime soon on any new brt projects as the provincial government may 2023 “force fed, one model for all” electric battery buses to every public transit societies in Quebec by placing the order themselves for 1229 buses from Novabus. It makes better public announcement where provincial government creates jobs and spend billions but for public transit doesn’t mean they needed those specific electric battery powered buses.
You made the point trolley buses are far more efficient on brt if you want electric powered vehicles, and can be unplugged fully charged to cover extra routes or reach the maintenance facilities. For the next brts, we’ll use what we’ll get, battery powered buses that we have to remove from the line to charge. Polluting with larger batteries and damaging the road bed with heavyweight buses.
Public transit are under pressure in Quebec for funding and under scrutiny for performance but still provincial government force means on them that won’t improve the current situation, lack of efficient transportation. For political gain over common sense and ultimately common good.
PIE-IX sounds like a pope's name.
People elsewhere would rejoice at 1-12 headway weekend transit service!