It's never fun packing onto a city bus, but throw in extreme heat and humidity and you have a recipe for misery.
“It was hell I go to work every morning, I take that bus and I'm all sweaty before I even get to work,” said one bus rider.
Right now, out of 1,700 STM buses, only 17 have air conditioning, and they're all on the 747 line that goes to and from the airport.
But the STM says relief is on the way, starting with 20 air-conditioned buses next year, and two dozen hybrids two years from now.
“These buses are electric and diesel, they use a lot less fuel, and we've made a choice to have them air-conditioned,” said Marvin Rotrand, STM vice-chair.
Rotrand says that additional cost on the hybrids will be offset by fuel savings not by fare hikes.
“As the technology gets better, we can provide this at no additional cost in the future. The electric buses which we will have after 2025, as far as I understand, air conditioning will not be at an additional cost,” he said.
The bus drivers’ union is skeptical the STM will make it happen. Two drivers told CTV Montreal the air-conditioning often doesn't work on the few buses that have it.
And for some users, air conditioning is a luxury. They say the STM should address problems such as putting more buses on the 105 line before they tackle air conditioning.
Public transit users can expect about 20 per cent of buses, so around 340, to have air conditioning within the next five years and if everything goes according to plan, a completely electric, air-conditioned fleet by 2025.
