STM's iBus in test mode, bus-rapid-transit lanes still awaiting final plans

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You may notice new electronic consoles on the dashboard of some buses in Montreal over the next few weeks.

The Société de transport de Montréal is in the final test phase of a GPS tracking system for its buses.

Known as iBus, the new system will allow users to track their buses in real-time to know when the next bus will arrive at a designated station.

Amélie Régis, a spokesperson for the STM, said there have been some complications in getting the GPS system up and running because the STM has 25 different types of buses, and technicians had to find the best spot on each bus to place the GPS trackers for optimal efficiency. The system was originally slated for 2014, but was delayed, and the roll out will now begin at the end of this year, Régis said. The delay has not added to the project’s overall cost, she said.

Once in place, there will be 90 terminals at 64 métro stations, and 26 busy bus stops. The terminals will show the bus routes in the area, and display when they will next arrive at the station. Users will also be able to use their phones or computers to track buses.

That’s the second phase of the iBus system. The first phase will be to equip all buses with speakers which will be linked to the consoles on the dash of the buses, and call out the names of the stops as the bus nears them. A sign inside the buses will also show the names of the stops.

Slow going on Pie-IX Blvd. BRT

Some progress is also being made on another much-delayed project to build bus-rapid-transit lanes on Pie-IX Blvd, which would stretch into Laval.

Originally promised for 2012, the lanes, which would be separated from the main roadway and reserved exclusively for buses at any time of the day, could see construction of its first bus station begin this year.

Fanie St-Pierre, a spokesperson for the Agence métropolitaine de transport, said the plans for the first station at the corner of Amos St. have been completed and submitted to the provincial transport minister for approval. The AMT hopes to begin construction on the first station at the end of the summer or early in the fall. As for the lane itself, she said the AMT hopes to issue a call for tenders at the end of this year or early next year. The estimated cost of the 14-kilometre Pie-IX Blvd. system that will link to Laval is $292 million, St-Pierre said.

However, the fate of the lane rests with the transport minister, and Anne-Catherine Couture, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Robert Poëti, said the minister will likely only present a business case for the lane to the Liberal cabinet by March 2016 at the earliest. Construction would only begin after that point, she said. The line is expected to serve 70,000 daily passengers. The AMT has said that construction could take five years.

BRT on Côte-Vertu Blvd. by 2017

Another bus-rapid-transit corridor could see the light of day much sooner. Régis said the STM could soon begin construction on a 4.7-kilometre BRT on Côte-Vertu Blvd., which would span the boroughs of St-Laurent and Ahuntsic-Cartierville, passing by the Montpellier and Sauvé train stations and the Côte-Vertu and Sauvé métro stations.

Régis said the STM is now working with the city and the boroughs concerned to come up with a final plan for the corridor. It would add capacity and allow buses to run more quickly on the 121 bus route, currently used by roughly 40,000 daily riders, the STM’s busiest line.

The cost of construction is estimated at between $15 million and $20 million, and could be completed by 2017, Régis said.

jmagder@montrealgazette.com

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