STM - Society in motion
Collectively, passengers using the help prevent the emission of cubic metres of CO2 each year. That's times the volume of the Biosphere on Sainte-Héléne Island
Collectively, passengers using the 51 bus route help prevent the emission of 4 254 806 cubic metres of CO2 each year. That’s 19 times the volume of the Biosphère on Sainte-Hélène Island.
The math leading to this result, which is an average of course, is based on several factors.
- The Origin-Destination survey, conducted in 2008, helped to determine that a client riding the STM network travels an average distance of 8.3 km. We also learn that 1.3 is the average number of passengers in a car.
- These calculations take into account all GHG emissions by STM vehicles for the entire time transit service is provided, or an average of 112 g of CO2 per km/passenger for the bus and 0 for the métro. Conversely, a car trip produces 208 g of CO2 , or some 270 g per km/1.3 passenger.
- Also taken into account is the fact that some people only use the bus (30%) or the métro (40%), while others use a combination of both.
- GHG emissions are usually measured by weight. Under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, a ton of CO2 takes up a volume of about 550 cubic metres. For an idea of what that means, it’s roughly equal to a pool measuring 10m x 25m x 2m deep.
- The average yearly ridership of a bus route is determined by readings taken each day aboard every bus. As for the metro, total rides are compiled from data taken at the turnstiles.
By taking all these factors into consideration, and assuming that all passengers had carried out the same trip by car (with an average 1.3 person per car), we can determine the volume of prevented emissions.
Vegetation roof and walls to keep the building naturally cool in summer, highly energy-efficient boilers, low-emission materials and others made from recycled matter, all made in Québec… Every detail was well-thought out, making the STM’s new bus body workshop, where major maintenance work is conducted, a building that reflects the ideals of sustainable development.
Construction of the eco-friendly building was made possible through the support of Transports Québec. The building is also noteworthy for its harmonious integration in the surrounding residential neighbourhood. Proof that everyone wins when thinking green.
Green is trump for the STM’s new bus body workshop
> Vegetation Roof
From atop its 950 m2, the workshop’s green rooftop will also help control water run-off by cutting its amount by half, double the roof’s service life, counteract urban heat pockets and periods of smog, increase the building’s energy efficiency and promote bio-diversity.
> Solar Wall
The 500 m2 solar wall will help to heat the building naturally by making maximum use of the sun’s heat in winter. Energy-efficient, the wall could lead to annual savings of 24 700 m3 of natural gas.
> Vegetation-covered Walls
These vegetation barriers, designed to support vines and other plant, will act as a natural filter for air pollutants and as a sound buffer, while keeping the building cool in summer.
> Heat recovery
Installing high performance boilers will lead to a 10% increase in energy efficiency.
> Roller Compacted Concrete Pavements
More resistant than flexible pavement, this concrete mix is expected to last some 15 years longer than asphalt. It prevents collapsing pavement, potholes and ruts, while calming the effects of urban heat pockets. Highly resistant to abrasion, it is impervious to water, oil and fuel, a must for any eco-friendly bus body workshop.
> Green Spaces
Bicycle racks, rain water retention ponds landscaped with plant material, newly planted trees and recreational areas all add up to a workshop in harmony with its residential neighbourhood.
Learn more about The new bus body workshop :
In November 2007, the STM began using biodiesel – regular diesel to which is added “methyl diester,” a biofuel made from recycled cooking oils and animal fats – in its buses and service vehicles. Since June 2008, the entire bus fleet is fuelled with biodiesel with concentrations of biofuel of up to 5%, as it can be adjusted according to weather conditions. The use of biodiesel has lead to reducing GHG emissions by more than 3500 tons in 2008, equal to more than 600 cars each running 20 000 km a year.
By being bold and also wielding considerable purchasing power – it takes 50 million litres of fuel each year to operate its buses – the STM has paved the way for the biodiesel market in Québec, leading both towns and transit in the drive to being ever greener.
For the STM, not all biofuels are created equal. By choosing a biofuel produced from recycled cooking oils and animal fats instead of corn crops, the STM takes yet another small action for a better planet.
Learn more about Fuelling with biodiesel:
Montréal already features 18 reserved lanes where buses have priority and traffic flows more smoothly. But why stop there? In cooperation with the city of Montréal, the STM will expand the length of its reserved lanes from 84.2 to more than 350 kilometres, a five-fold increase in corridors where buses have priority.
And that’s not all: a series of measures will be introduced to make our bus network more reliable, on-time and up to 15% to 30% faster to better compete with cars.
These new bus priority measures will make travelling by bus easier:
- Introducing more bus routes with a limited number of stops for faster travel times (such as the 467 Express Saint-Michel)
- Introducing reserved lanes such as those on Saint-Michel, Beaubien and Rosemont roads
- Introducing bus rapid transit services, such as those on Pie-IX and Henri-Bourassa boulevards
- Extending the green light to allow buses through the intersection
- Extending the green light after passengers have boarded
- Introducing a bus priority signal at traffic lights to allow buses to leave before other vehicles such as those on Saint-Michel, Beaubien and Rosemont corridors
- Improved signage for rapid bus services
Learn more about Bus priority:
