2025 Activity Report: STM is taking the necessary steps to protect its mission

Press release

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is releasing its 2025 Activity Report, which includes modernizing its practices to protect its mission in the face of changing financial, organizational and social realities.

“Changes in how we do business combined with efforts to optimize our budget have made 2025 a decisive year for STM’s ability to continue to deliver efficient, reliable, safe and cost-effective public transit in the years to come. Our strategic decisions are aimed at ensuring that the Montreal community—which makes more than one million trips a day on our networks—can continue to count on us to provide this essential service.” 
– Marie-Claude Léonard, CEO of the STM

A year marked by union negotiations

In 2025, four of the six union certifications were actively engaged in collective agreement negotiations. Within a fixed financial framework, the STM conducted rigorous discussions, remaining open to compromise and firmly focused on evolving working practices to ensure network performance and the long-term sustainability of service.

Amid various job actions that caused service disruptions for customers, the STM worked with its union partners to maintain essential services as much as possible in order to minimize impacts on the community.

As of December 31, 2025, two agreements had been ratified and one agreement in principle had been reached. As of May 7, 2026, four agreements have now been ratified, with negotiations ongoing with the remaining two unions.

Ridership affected by strikes and demographic factors

With 293.9 million trips taken in 2025, ridership decreased by 6.6% compared to the previous year. This change is partly due to demographic decline linked, among other factors, to new immigration policies. A notable example is the decrease in international students in the city—an important user group of public transit.

Strike periods related to collective bargaining negotiations also contributed to the decline in ridership due to intermittent service disruptions.

Fewer complaints

Overall, the number of complaints filed regarding STM services in 2025 decreased by approximately 10% compared to 2024. Improvements were particularly notable in the métro (-13%) and paratransit services (-31%).

The bus network saw a slight increase (+6%), largely explained by the service disruptions caused by strikes. Without this exceptional factor, the trend would have been stable or declining.

Additional measures to improve the sense of safety

In 2025, social coexistence challenges continued within the STM network. In response to increased incivility in the métro and a decline in perceived safety compared to the previous year, the STM intensified its actions. 

Temporary measures were implemented in the métro, including a mandatory circulation policy, the reconfiguration of certain station areas and increased staff presence. The positive results observed led to the extension of the circulation requirement until April 30, 2026. At the same time, STM has strengthened its human and preventive approach by intensifying collaboration with community and social partners.

A revised business model for paratransit

Modernization efforts were also reflected in the evolution of the STM’s paratransit service. As 90% of trips were already provided by external partners, the STM began standardizing the service by entrusting them with full operations starting in 2026. This decision aims to improve vehicle availability and support the goal of zero trip denials, in a context of strong demand growth driven by population ageing and the diversification of customer needs. 

This transition is being carried out in close collaboration with community organizations, with particular attention paid to customer support, driver training, and maintaining consistent quality standards.

The evolution also included new contractual agreements, including a partnership with the Société de transport de Laval.

Projects to improve bus and métro networks

The Blue Line project reached a major milestone with the arrival of the largest tunnel boring machine ever used in Quebec, which will excavate the 4.6 km extension tunnel. This stage also includes continued progress on the construction of the five future stations, as well as the announcement of their names. The budget and timeline remain on track.

Among other key projects completed in 2025 are the commissioning of the second section of the Henri-Bourassa bus rapid transit service, the accessibility upgrade of Atwater station and integration of the new Deux-Montagnes branch of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) with McGill and Édouard-Montpetit stations.

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