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Once a rare sight in Montreal has become a regular occurrence: empty buses and métro cars.

The Société de transport de Montréal reported Wednesday that since the COVID-19 outbreak in the region its ridership has dwindled by 80 per cent on its métro network and 70 per cent for buses. Adapted transit trips have dropped 75 per cent, spokesperson Philippe Déry said.

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Despite the drastic drop, the transit agency has continued to deploy its full fleet of buses and métro cars, Déry said. The only exception has been special buses that serve schools since classes across the province were cancelled on March 13.

Déry said STM managers are analyzing the current level of service and working on a plan to scale it back, but he did not say when that would happen. Despite the drastic reduction in service, the STM has no intention to temporarily lay off any employees.

The situation is similar for buses in Longueuil and Laval. Ridership has declined by 65 per cent on both the Réseau de transport de Longueuil and the Société de transport de Laval. In Laval, ridership on adapted transit service has plummeted 85 per cent. Those agencies have also not yet reduced their bus service, but they are re-evaluating the service given to customers.