The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is beginning a process to transfer its paratransit minibus services to external partners in 2026.

Currently, taxi industry partners already handle 90% of paratransit trips. Transferring the remaining 10% of trips — those delivered by minibuses — to external partners will allow the STM to streamline its paratransit services. 

Paratransit eligibility, reservations, planning, service delivery management, and quality management will continue to be handled directly by the STM.

“With over 12,000 daily paratransit customers and over four million paratransit trips per year, the STM has clearly demonstrated the skills and expertise of its employees in the field,” said Marie-Claude Léonard, CEO of the STM. “We’re not questioning the outstanding work of our teams — we’re rethinking our business model for this service. Given our financial situation, and with our current minibus fleet and the Saint-Michel bus garage both nearing the end of their useful lives, we have a responsibility to seize opportunities to innovate, enhance our service offering, and reevaluate our business model.”

Benefits for Passengers

The initiative will make more vehicles available for all users, thus directly responding to growing customer needs and allowing the STM to uphold its zero-refusal policy. Demand for paratransit services is on the rise due to an aging population and increasingly diverse customer travel needs.

“We understand that this change may be concerning for customers who rely on our paratransit services,” said Léonard. “Our strength has always been providing quality service at every step of the customer journey, from booking to post-trip follow-up. That won’t change. In fact, that’s precisely what this initiative is about—maintaining the same level of quality and, above all, being able to keep upholding our zero-refusal policy in the future.”

The STM is committed to ensuring that all customers who currently travel by minibus will continue to be served by its new partners, regardless of their needs. Every user’s situation — both current and future —will be fully considered in collaboration with paratransit customer representatives.

The STM will begin the discussions with different potential providers for this type of service over the course of 2025.

Anticipated Savings

The initiative could generate recurring savings of $15 million — an important consideration given the STM’s current financial context.

In keeping with the STM’s commitment to maintaining quality services at a lower cost, it will contribute to the transit agency’s goal of reducing expenses by $100 million over the next five years. It will also help reduce capital expenditures at the bus garage and cut acquisition costs, as the current minibus fleet is reaching the end of its useful life and will not be replaced.

As per the terms of the applicable collective agreements, this initiative will not result in any layoffs.

Last fall, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) announced plans to optimize paratransit services in Greater Montréal. In that context, transferring this last 10% of trips to external partners will allow the STM to remain competitive and present itself as the clear choice for managing paratransit in Greater Montréal.