The City of Brossard welcomes the deployment, starting this Thursday morning, of bus routes parallel to the REM.
Building on the experience gained since the opening of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), the City of Brossard welcomes the deployment of parallel bus routes to the REM, starting this Thursday morning. The aim of this initiative is to offer citizens a reliable alternative in the event of a breakdown, thus avoiding improvised and inadequate back-up measures.
For Brossard mayor Doreen Assaad, this temporary solution should pave the way for an in-depth review of the agreement linking public transit services to the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ-Infra). It calls for the permanent restoration of bus connections with downtown Montreal, including once REM reliability has been restored.
“We need to review the exclusivity granted to the REM. Priority must be given to users and network reliability. Rather than seeing buses as competition to the REM, we need to see them as a complementary solution that strengthens the transportation offer. By guaranteeing a dual option – REM and bus – we make travel safer and encourage more citizens to use public transport.”
Concrete measures for improved mobility
In addition to calling for buses between Brossard and downtown to be made permanent, the mayor is also asking :
- The study of scenarios for the reopening of the Chevrier terminus, which offered an effective alternative before the launch of REM.
- Increasing the number of park-and-ride spaces at Panama station, to meet growing user demand.
We need to learn from the brossard experience. The mayor of Brossard also joins the experts in calling on the Caisse de dépôt to integrate more connections into its future REM deployments.
“Our experience in Brussells shows us that an efficient network is based on the diversity of options offered to users. To ensure reliable and attractive public transit, we need to guarantee a robust interconnection with other modes of transport and not lock citizens into a single, rigid system.”
On the eve of the deployment of the next segments of the REM, the City of Brossard reiterates its commitment to defending the interests of its citizens by advocating a pragmatic and resilient approach to public transit.
