While on the surface the STM's new plan to cap wait times for 31 of its busiest bus routes at 10 minutes sounds like a winner, the main people responsible for keeping the new promise are not pleased with it.

The Montreal transit authority unveiled the new plan Wednesday amid as much fanfare as it could muster, with STM chairman of the board Michel Labrecque promising that from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every weekday buses will pass – at most – every 10 minutes.

Except the bus drivers union is not impressed with the plan, labeling it a public relations initiative that is practically impossible to implement. Union president Claude Benoit – who recently called the union's relationship with the STM the worst he's seen in his 23-year career – interrupted Wednesday's news conference to loudly voice his displeasure.

"They're coming out and they're doing all this brouhaha and then (it's) the bus drivers that are going to be late," union rep Tom Mouhteros later told CTV Montreal's Cindy Sherwin. "They're the ones that are going to get the brunt from the passengers saying, ‘Look, you're guaranteeing 10 minutes and you're not here in 10 minutes.'"

Mouhteros added that bus drivers already feel enough pressure to respect their schedules, and this new project will only add more to their plates.

Some bus users told Sherwin they too are concerned about the guarantee being respected, particularly in winter, construction zones or high traffic areas.

The "10 minutes max" network is set to begin Monday morning, whether the drivers like it or not, with two different levels of service.

The plan will be in place in the busiest direction either from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the following 20 bus routes: 32 – Lacordaire, 33 – Langelier, 44 – Armand-Bombardier, 45 – Papineau, 48 – Perras, 49 – Maurice-Duplessis, 55 – Saint-Laurent, 64 – Grenet, 90 – Saint-Jacques, 97 – Mont-Royal, 103 – Monkland, 106 – Newman et 506 – Voie réservée Newman (rush hour only), 132 – Viau, 161 – Van Horne, 171 – Henri-Bourassa, 187 – René-Lévesque, 193 – Jarry, 197 – Rosemont, 211 – Bord-du-Lac and 470 – Express Pierrefonds.

The guaranteed 10-minute service will be offered in both directions from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the following 11 routes: 18 – Beaubien, 24 – Sherbrooke, 51 – édouard-Montpetit, 67 – Saint-Michel, 69 – Gouin, 80 – du Parc, 105 – Sherbrooke, 121 – Sauvé/Côte-Vertu, 139 – Pie-IX, 141 – Jean-Talon Est and 165 – Côte-des-Neiges.