Tens of thousands of dollars for parties and more than a million for company vehicles: the transport companies in the metropolitan area are making numerous expenditures, despite their enormous structural deficit.
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In addition to an influencer marketing agency costing nearly $10,000, the Exo organization paid $148,700 for the purchase of two Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid cars.
Screenshot TVA News
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is not spared; it reportedly paid $1.1 million for 18 Ford Mustang Mach-E cars. Over the past three years, it has also purchased $99,000 worth of insulated bottles.
TVA News Screenshot
On the South Shore of the metropolis, the Longueuil Transport Network (RTL) spent $46,990 on a “recognition party.” It also purchased $94,000 worth of new furniture and paid $120,700 to revamp its brand image.
TVA News Screenshot
Taxpayers are therefore said to be furious at this “unnecessary” spending, with fares increasing every year and a registration tax imposed on them at the beginning of the year, while transport companies keep saying they are “running out of money”.
Sarah V. Doyon, executive director of Trajectoire Québec, says it’s “normal” to feel frustration. “We’re trying to get the best use of public funds from transit companies, just like any other organization.”
A significant deficit
The director of the non-profit organization specifies, however, that the deficit of all the transport companies in the metropolitan region stands at $560 million. Even if these disbursements had not taken place, the organizations would still have a very significant structural deficit.
For her, company vehicles are a completely acceptable expense. Other payments, like parties and bottles, are harder to justify, she admits.
Regarding the registration tax, the director responds by saying that those who complain have not understood “the order of magnitude of the challenge we are facing.”
She also specifies that the price of a driving license was inexpensive in recent years, since the “SAAQ coffers are overflowing”. It is therefore “important to take things into account, all the same,” notes Mme Doyon.
“That said, I think transportation companies need to actually evaluate each of their expenses to make sure there are no unpleasant surprises,” she says. “Every dollar should be valued and invested in service.”
Watch the full interview in the video above.
