15 % rise in Montreal public transit use: study

A study done by Quebec's transport ministry and several Montreal-area transit agencies shows more people are leaving their cars at home to commute into work.

The fall 2008 survey asked more than 150,000 Montrealers how they get around the city and how much they use public transportation.

The survey noted a15 per cent hike in public transit use.

The results also show a one per cent decrease in car use, but a ten per cent increase in car ownership.

 "There was an improvement in the last five years in the service of public transit," said Joel Gauthier, president of the AMT, Metropolitan Transport Agency.

"Public transit now, it's not perfect, but we did improve the quality of service and we can compete in many cases on the time that it takes from your home to go to the city."

Gauthier said the price of downtown parking pushes Montrealers to use public transit more often.

He also attributed the spike in public transit use to Montrealers being more conscious of their own impact on the environment. The transit study is done every five years.