Paratransit users are concerned about Quebec’s decision to change the way funding terms for their transportation service are calculated. 

Given the ridership increases in paratransit, a $12.5-million shortfall is expected in 2026 in the Montreal region. And that deficit could grow in the coming years, which users fear would translate into a significant deterioration in service.

Following the budget tabled by Quebec last March, the Ministry of Transport decided to revise how subsidies paid to paratransit are calculated, said Dominic Palladini, executive director of the Regroupement des usagers du transport adapté et accessible de l’île de Montréal (RUTA Montréal). Under the financial framework agreed to with the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) in 2024, it had been determined that subsidies paid under the Programme de soutien au transport adapté would be calculated according to ridership observed during the previous year. 

But for 2026, Quebec has decided it will instead rely on 2024 data, rather than 2025 data, to make its calculations. Since transit ridership has continued to rise since the pandemic in the Montreal region, that decision translates into an expected shortfall of $12.5 million for 2026, which would be added to last year’s $8-million deficit. Without financial changes, the gap will continue to widen in subsequent years, reaching a total shortfall of $63 million in 2028, the ARTM estimates.

Another payment can be made by the ministry at the end of the year in light of the actual paratransit trips made over the previous 12 months. But Palladini said he has not obtained assurances from the ministry that the expected gap would be filled, because Quebec wants to respect its annual budget framework. “There aren’t many provisions in the 2026 budget framework. So we’re preparing for the worst. It really frightens us.” 

RUTA Montréal fears major repercussions for services, especially since transit agencies have been subject to cuts for several years. “We’re no longer cutting the fat; we’re cutting straight into the spinal cord,” Palladini said.

Is the ‘Zero Refusal’ policy at risk? 

Marie Turcotte, a paratransit user and former transportation lead at the organization Ex aequo, is also very worried and fears the “zero refusal” policy applied by the STM and other carriers could be called into question. That policy guarantees transportation for any user who requests it 24 hours in advance, regardless of the reason — whether for a medical appointment, work or a leisure activity.

“That concept, introduced by the STM in the 2000s, brought a breath of fresh air for users because it took away a source of stress. If regular network users didn’t know, from one morning to the next, whether their bus would come or whether the metro would be running, it would make no sense,” she said. “We have to be able to take part in leisure activities and go shopping. It can be beneficial for mental health.”

Other cost-cutting measures could affect paratransit, such as capping the number of daily trips or adding another passenger to vehicles, Palladini fears.

Growing needs

Paratransit ridership fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since been rising sharply, Palladini said. “In 2016, 16 per cent of Montreal’s population had reduced mobility. In 2022, that rate was 21 per cent.”

And users in the Montreal region are not the only ones worried about the effects of the revised subsidy calculations. Paratransit is already suffering from underfunding that threatens carriers’ zero refusal policy, said Dominique Viénot, executive director of the Alliance des regroupements des usagers du transport adapté du Québec. “Since the funding is conditional on the government’s budgetary capacity, how can an organization plan its funding when it is not even sure it will receive the subsidies?”

In the Montreal region, the paratransit sector has not been spared the cuts Quebec has demanded in public transit. Last year, the STM transferred to private partners the 10 per cent of paratransit trips it was still carrying out, a move expected to generate recurring savings of $15 million. For its part, the ARTM has begun pooling paratransit services across its territory in order to generate savings.

It was not possible Friday to obtain comments from the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable. For its part, the ARTM said it was working on “sustainable” solutions to preserve paratransit service levels in a context of growing needs.

“Several demographic trends observed in Quebec, including the aging of the population, are leading to a notable increase in demand for paratransit.” Users hope the election campaign will draw the parties’ attention to the dangers facing paratransit. “It is vulnerable populations who use paratransit. It’s the only form of transportation for a large share of this population, because these people do not have a support network around them.”