STM rolls out bus priority measures on four corridors
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has begun to roll out bus priority measures (BPM) on four corridors to integrate a reserved lane or to change the hours of operation of an existing reserved lane.
“In addition to making the bus network more attractive to customers, bus priority measures reduce operating costs. Their impact on improving punctuality and reducing travel time results in savings,” said STM Board Chairman Aref Salem.
Every year, the STM works with the city of Montreal boroughs and related cities to identify sections where bus priority measures have the best gain potential and favorable siting conditions.
Upcoming work in 2026
STM notes at the request of the South-West Borough, the section of the reserved lane between Avenue Lamont and Boulevard de La Vérendrye will now be in operation 24/7. According to the agency, the change in schedule will increase the number of daily trips that benefit from this reserved bus, taxi and bicycle lane to 17,500. Road marking work is scheduled to begin in June, with commissioning planned for the summer.
In collaboration with the Ville-Marie Borough, a new reserved bus and taxi lane will be created on Rue d’Iberville, southbound, between Rue Hochelaga and Rue Ontario. It will be in effect Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. STM notes the measure will benefit more than 3,000 daily trips. Marking and signage work is scheduled for July.
STM notes that with the approval of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Borough, four sections of the reserved bus lane will be created on Rue Notre-Dame Est, westbound only, between Rue Sainte-Catherine Est and Rue Alphonse-D.-Roy. They will be in the curb lanes in the middle of the road so that there will be no impact on traffic or parking. According to the agency, work on this corridor will ensure that line 410 and 430 buses that use this highly congested area travel more smoothly. Road marking work is scheduled to begin in June and commissioning in July.
Following the opening of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) Anse-à-l’Orme branch, the STM, in collaboration with the city of Pointe-Claire, Montreal, opened a new reserved bus lane on May 21 on Avenue Fairview northbound, between Rue A and Boulevard Brunswick. A southbound reserved lane was created as part of the REM project. It has been in service since May for buses and cyclists.
According to the STM, this new measure ensures the smooth travel of the 16 bus lines that run on the section concerned since the opening of the REM Fairview–Pointe-Claire station and the nearby bus terminal. There are 30,000 daily trips that benefit from this reserved lane that is in effect at all times.
Installation of priority traffic lights continues
STM is working with Montréal’s Service de l’urbanisme et de la mobilité (SUM) to identify areas where installing priority traffic lights has the potential to bring the most gains in terms of bus performance. As of Dec. 31, 2025, more than 2,100 priority traffic lights have been installed at over 1,000 intersections on the Island of Montreal. Nearly 90% of these lights are transit signal priority (TSP), which are intelligent lights that automatically adjust to favor buses.
In 2026, the STM and the SUM targeted approximately 40 hubs along four corridors: Rue Grenet, Boulevard de l’Acadie, Boulevard Rosemont and Rue Viau. Hubs along other corridors could be identified at a later date. The implementation is being done gradually throughout the year.
According to the STM, BPMs consist of road network features that give priority to public transit, thereby improving service speed and timeliness. BPMs, which include reserved lanes and priority traffic lights for buses, result in considerably shorter travel times.