Would an app help curb sexual harassment on the Montreal Metro?

Montreal's public transit agency is considering making a mobile geolocation app that would allow commuters to instantly report cases of sexual harassment on the bus or Metro.

The idea was proposed in a motion tabled at city hall by opposition Ensemble Montréal and unanimously adopted on Tuesday. 

"Harassment on public transportation is a real scourge, but cases are rarely documented," said Ensemble Montréal Coun. Karine Boivin-Roy, in a statement.

"This new tool will promote better data collection which, in turn, will help to provide a clear and accurate picture of harassment situations and, in the process, develop more targeted and effective outreach tools," she said. 

Ensemble Montréal said once the app is developed, it could be used by other transit authorities, as well.

App a good start

Isabelle Lapointe, a community organizer who has spoken out about harassment on public transit, said such an app would be a good start, but it won't solve the problem on its own.

"I think it's good because we are going be able to have statistics on street harassment, but I don't think the application is enough," Lapointe, from the Centre d'éducation et d'action des femmes de Montréal, said in a phone interview.

Lapointe said it's up to everybody to ensure women feel safe in the city.

In a 2016 study, 88 per cent of the 250 Montreal women surveyed said street harassment is a problem, she said.

Because harassment is often not reported, the actual percentage of women who experience harassment is likely even higher, she said. 

When an incident is reported to the STM, she said, victims are told to go to the police, and then the police can do little without evidence.

'Taking incidents seriously,' says STM

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Now that the motion has passed, the STM will study the requested measures before making a decision about how to proceed, said spokesperson Philippe Déry.

Developing such an app should be done in collaboration with Montreal city police, he said, because sexual harassment is a criminal act, and police collect data in this regard.

The STM already collaborates with police as it is "already taking incidents of this nature seriously," he said.

Any STM client that does not feel safe is encouraged to notify an employee, and there are phones located on each Metro platform, he said. 

Déry said there is also a program for bus riders known as "between two stops,"  which allows women to be dropped off after dark anywhere along the bus route, if they ask the driver in advance.