Construction on Montreal's streets is taking its toll on everyone who has to move around the city.
That includes bus drivers and riders, with STM drivers saying they are facing more threats and insults from the public than ever before.
The president of the bus drivers' union, Renato Carlone, said drivers are now facing a daily barrage of insults from angry passengers.
"As soon as they get on the bus they are greeted with foul language," said Carlone.
He said passengers are fed up with the delays, but don't seem to comprehend the reason their bus is late.
"I understand the users need to get to work. I understand they need to get to their appointments, but please, do not take it out on the bus drivers," said Carlone.
Over the past two years, as construction on city streets takes on a feverish pitch, it is becoming increasingly common for buses to arrive late.
The worst of the complaints are coming from routes along St. Michel, or along Cote des Neiges near the Montreal General Hospital.
Many complaints come from buses near the Turcot, where the STM has added extra service to deal with the construction.
The STM is not certain the complaints are justified, saying it has added extra buses to many lines, and that surveys show many riders are very happy with the service.
"We are adding hours to the schedule to make sure the bus driver has time to go from point A to point B," said STM Chair Philippe Schnobb.
Drivers who spoke to CTV said only a small percentage of passengers who get irate, but added it only takes a few jerks to spoil someone's entire day.
"We've lived with this for years, being late 5, 10 minutes. It's a common occurance for a bus driver to be 5, 10 minutes late, and get scolded or bad-mouthed by the clients. It's time to stop because now it's no longer 5, 10 minutes, it's 30 minutes, and 40 minutes, and one hour late, and we can't take this," said Carlone.
The Union is calling on passengers to calm down and realize that buses, like everything else on the road, get stuck in traffic
