Montreal, November 29, 2023 – At a time when the debate surrounding the financing of public transit in Quebec is raging, a new study by the Centre for Productivity and Prosperity – Walter J. Somers Foundation (CPP) reveals that Quebec transit companies could alleviate the pressure on the financing of their operations by improving efficiency.
Drawing on data from 23 Canadian transit companies that responded positively to Access to Information requests, the CPP researchers have identified a major flaw in the operational efficiency of organizations serving the Montreal, Laval, Quebec City, Longueuil and Gatineau areas: “Analysis of the data compiled shows that the budgetary space taken up by administrative expenses is significantly greater in Quebec,” explains Robert Gagné, CPP director and co-author of the study. In the long term, a disproportionate share of the budget of Quebec public transit companies is thus directed towards activities that do not directly serve the transportation offer, which tends to reduce their productivity and unnecessarily increase their operating expenses”.
