We’ve prioritized the bus network reconfiguration in the La Presqu’Île sector to coincide with the opening of the Anse-à-l’Orme branch of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), set to open at the end 2024. At that point, our buses will serve the station linking the West Island to downtown Montréal.
The first phase of consultations took place in fall 2021. Our objective was to inform citizens about the reconfiguration project, enable them to discuss the subject with exo experts, and better understand their needs.
An online information session was held on September 14. You can view it here (in French).
The online consultation, which took place from September 13 to October 11, 2021, enabled citizens to express their needs and share their suggestions for public transit in their sector.
Analysis of the information and data gathered will allow our experts to form the basis of our proposed service scenarios. All of the information we collected will be compiled in a consultation report produced by our partner, the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM), which is assisting us in the process.
Phase 2 of the consultations will take place in 2022 to validate the proposed network and define the areas of improvement.
For both phases of the consultations, exo is partnering with the INM, a non-partisan and independent organization whose mission is to encourage citizen involvement in democratic life. It’s role is to:
Moderate the consultations
Analyze the information gathered
Ensure the integrity of the process
Yes, the schedules will be adjusted when the new network opens in spring 2024, at the same time as the REM opens in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
These schedules will be announced before the lines open to allow users to plan their new routes.
Changes to rates are part of a different project: the fare reform.
This is the responsibility of the Autorité Régionale de Transport Métropolitain (ARTM), which is currently harmonizing rates for all of Greater Montréal in an effort to simplify the fares.
The focus of the network reconfiguration is to adapt to travel behaviours, and inter-municipal service will be improved where demand justifies it.
Reconfiguring the exo bus network provides us with an opportunity to review our services and make them even more efficient.
In addition to optimizing our schedules, frequency and routes, we are also looking at introducing new and better mobility solutions, including on-demand transportation.
In May 2021, exo launched a pilot project called exo on demand in the Belœil-McMasterville area. Based on results, exo on demand could be extended to other areas, and included in the network reconfiguration project.
We are constantly improving our park-and-ride lots based on customer needs and available financing, and will continue to do so.
In addition, we’ll be reconfiguring certain bus terminals to better serve the new bus network.
Setting up reserved lanes involves several partners, including municipalities and the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ), depending on the location. At exo, we are actively working with our metropolitan partners to ensure that priority is given to creating reserved lanes.
Exo believes that reserved lanes contribute to making public transit more efficient and appealing, and would like to see more of this type of infrastructure deployed in order to provide speedier service to customers.
Yes. We are working in collaboration with STM teams to provide better links between the two agencies’ networks.
The future Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital will of course be included in the new proposed network along with all other locations that generate high travel volumes in the area.
The consultations will allow us to determine the transportation expectations of certain sectors that are not currently served, and we may adjust our service in order to better meet these needs.
Exo is currently studying the possibility of improving service on all commuter train lines to make them more efficient and appealing. However, these studies do not follow the same timeline as the bus network reconfiguration, which is why this consultation is solely focused on redesigning the bus network, which will open at the end of 2024.
In collaboration with municipal partners, exo is currently exploring how to improve safety at Pincourt-Terrasse-Vaudreuil and Île-Perrot stations.
These stations have significant safety issues that have been a concern for several years.
We are currently in the exploration phase of the project, and no decisions have yet been made. We have set up a consultation process with municipal partners and citizens to find the best solution to remedy the dangerous behaviours observed on site. The first citizen information and discussion session took place on August 24, 2021, in Île-Perrot.
According to the requirements that will be confirmed during the public consultations, we may, for example, continue to offer direct bus service to specific workplaces, schools and commercial businesses in the West Island in addition to new service to the Réseau express métropolitain (REM).
One of the main objectives of the bus network reconfiguration is to promote intermodality and align services with other public transit networks such as the REM and commuter trains.
As these municipalities are not currently served by exo, they will not be included in the La Presqu’Île sector reconfiguration.
Good to know: The exo territory is made up of 82 municipalities in the Montréal Metropolitan Area, Kahnawake and the City of Saint-Jérôme. Municipalities such as Valleyfield, Les Coteaux and Coteau-du-Lac, which are located outside of the territory, must enter into agreements with the ARTM for public transit services.
The following are answers to questions asked during the information session on September 14, 2021. View the session recording here (in French).
There are no such plans. On the contrary, exo is currently looking at the possibility of improving train service on the exo2 Saint-Jérôme line (in French), which has strong growth potential.
We have not yet standardized all signage since the CIT La Presqu’Île was integrated to the exo network. The reconfiguration project will provide us with an opportunity to do so throughout the sector.
Yes. Since the July 1, 2021, implementation of Phase 1 of the fare reform, “All Modes” fares provide access to each of the zone’s transportation modes, be it train, métro or REM.
One of the objectives of the La Presqu’Île bus network reconfiguration is to adjust service for the arrival of the REM in Anse-à-l’Orme. Following the first phase of consultations, the exo team is developing a new bus network scenario. We’ll propose the new service to the REM station during the second phase of consultations.
Certainly! A major communications campaign is planned, most notably during the launch of the new bus network. This campaign will include on-site guidance at terminals and other locations.
