A petition circulating in NDG is asking municipal officials and the STM improve service on the 105 bus route.
Titled, “105 Bus Service - NDG, Montreal,” the petition was started by commuters who are “completely dissatisfied” with service on the line. It claims the bus is crowded and often late, especially during rush hour.
The 105 runs along Sherbrooke St. from Vendôme metro station to Concordia’s Loyola campus. It is NDG’s busiest bus line. Residents use it to travel downtown, and it ferries hundreds of Concordia students a day, as well as people who work in the borough.
“Response has been incredible” says Khoba Sysavane, the author of the petition. Sysavane works at Loyola campus. She got the idea when her bus was late - again - one winter morning. "I left home early, and I got to work at 10:30,” says Sysavane. “I just jumped up and said, ‘That’s it! I’ve had enough.”
She enlisted the help of co-workers Maria Battaglino, Maria Ponte, and Kathryn Ayres. They collected hundreds of signatures from fed-up morning commuters waiting in line at Vendôme. The petition went online March 10 ( HYPERLINK "http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/105bus_ndg/" http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/105bus_ndg/). Comments call 105 service, “unreliable”, “horrendous”, and “ridiculous”.
Cote-des-Neiges/NDG councillor Peter McQueen, who supports the petition, agrees there are problems with the 105. “I think it’s lacking in spots,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s running well, and sometimes, it stops.” McQueen is the only Projet Montreal councillor on the Union Montreal-controlled council.
McQueen says he’d like to see articulated buses (aka accordion buses) added to the route. “It’s about increasing capacity,” he says. “They (articulated buses) are about twice as long as regular buses.” McQueen also wants to see more buses added to the 162 line, which travels from Villa-Maria metro to Loyola. He thinks more 162 buses would increase ridership on the line, “slowly but surely.” Long term, McQueen is interested in a tram line from Vendôme to Loyola.
Sysevane, who met with McQueen and Loyola councillor Susan Clarke to discuss the issue, would also like to see a tram. Sysevane says so far, she’s unsatisfied with the response she’s gotten from the borough and the STM.
Snowdon councillor Marvin Rotrand is Vice-Chair of the STM. He says plans are already underway to add more buses to the 105 route in time for the beginning of school this autumn. He acknowledges the 105 is a “thoroughly popular route,” and estimates anywhere from 10 to 15 more buses will be added to the line.
Rotrand doesn’t rule out eventually adding articulated buses to the line, but says it is not something the STM is looking at the moment.
Sysavane thinks adding more buses is a band aid solution. “I think it’s going to be slightly better,” she says, “but what’s going to happen when we have the superhospital (next to Vendôme)? It’s going to be absolutely crazy.”
Sysevane says she has no plans to stop campaigning for better 105 service. She warns politicians and the STM she’s in it for the long haul. “I’m biding my time,” says Sysevane. “I knew from the start this wouldn’t happen overnight ... the word is getting out, people are upset.”
