Montreal transit authority makes $3 million in cuts
In a statement published on their website on November 29, the ARTM said they were making “organizational changes.”
Montreal's regional transit authority, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), has announced a restructuring plan that includes $3 million in job cuts.
The ARTM oversees strategic planning, coordination, funding, and fare management for public transit in Montreal, including services such as buses, the metro, and the paratransit program.
In a statement released on November 29, the ARTM explained that the decision was part of "organizational changes" aimed at addressing current economic challenges and preparing for the establishment of Mobilité Infra Québec. The statement noted that these adjustments would "improve the organization's performance while optimizing our ways of doing things."
Mobilité Infra Québec, introduced through Bill 61 by the provincial government earlier this year, is a proposed transit authority under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The restructuring reduces the ARTM’s executive divisions from six to four and decreases its Management Committee from ten members to six, increasing the management ratio from one manager for every four employees to one manager for every eight employees. Overall, 30 permanent positions will be eliminated, representing a 15% reduction in payroll.
This announcement follows a similar move by the STM, which recently implemented $16 million in cuts for the coming year as part of a broader plan to reduce expenses by $100 million by 2028.
ARTM General Manager Benoit Gendron emphasized the need for efficiency, stating, “In these challenging economic times, all public transit stakeholders can and must adapt to do more with existing resources. Citizens expect all industry players to adopt more efficient practices now, and this restructuring is part of that commitment.”
