To my knowledge and subject to reservations, because I must always maintain a certain humility even if I am supposed to have become an expert over the years, the current non-return of a good part of the clientele can be attributed essentially to telecommuting, especially for the shorter distances. I'm thinking, for example, of my colleague who does the Montreal-Sherbrooke route.
For longer distances, I think that transport costs are also an important element and a brake. We are facing a very significant increase in these costs. In intercity transport, which is provided by private companies as opposed to public transport services, the customer pays the full costs plus, in principle, a profit margin. By comparison, customer revenues in urban and suburban transport networks are only 35%, 45% or 55% of operating costs.
This leads to aberrations. When a bus operated by a company under contract with a public transit company leaves Joliette or Sainte-Julie for Montreal, the customer will pay five or seven dollars for his or her “urban” ticket, while for the same distance, the customer would have to pay $25 or $30 to a private intercity transport company. Yet, in our rural areas, the rider would normally be entitled to that same trip for a similar cost, which might encourage them to take the bus, allowing them to go to the city, not only for cancer treatment, but also for pleasure, to visit family and to go shopping.
As I said earlier, there is a double standard for people living near major urban centres, and those living in sparsely populated or more remote settings.
Speaking of distance and isolated places, I just heard Ms. Perry talk about indigenous people and Ms. Jaffe describe the situation in Saskatchewan. In 2016, we launched a new service to the village of Chisasibi, near the shores of James Bay, from Val d'Or, a journey of almost 1,000 kilometres. Along the way, we do pass through Amos and Matagami, but we also stop in the communities of Némiskau, Eastmain, Wemindji and Waskaganish. Why do we do it?
It's not because the federal government is helping us, but because the indigenous communities and the Grand Council of the Crees decided to put money in to benefit from the Quebec Programme d'aide au développement du transport collectif, which allows us to use this money to reduce our operating costs as a carrier.
There is no doubt that the private sector is the solution to intercity transport operations, which Mr. Roberts will be pleased to hear me say. Earlier, Mr. Strahl was talking about turning all this into a public transportation company. The Saskatchewan Transportation Company had to close because its operating costs per kilometre travelled, which were double ours, had become too high. This closure had caught my attention.
I agree that service should be provided, but there are limits to creating public transport companies that cannot maintain reasonable operating costs while ensuring adequate working conditions, safety, vehicle maintenance and compliance with all rules. In intercity transport, therefore, it is clear that the private sector is the solution. As for rural areas, I will take the example of our line between Val-d'Or and Chisasibi. Ms. Jaffe rightly pointed out the whole issue of transporting parcels, goods and equipment for various services, which take up a large part of our luggage bays on that line.
There are other small steps that could be taken as well. I can mention them if, by chance, I am asked a question about them.