The expansion and upgrading of our garages have been completed. On January 6, 2003, employees and buses were transferred to the upgraded Longueuil and Saint-Hubert operating centres.

The Longueuil operating centre's surface area was increased from 16,000 to 28,200 square metres. This major 21 M$ project was designed to increase bus parking and to reorganize maintenance activities.

The MTQ contributed 15.2 M$, and Longueuil invested 5.8 M$. The work in Longueuil represented 89% of the total cost, while 11% were spent at the Saint-Hubert centre.

Employees
Most of the Saint-Hubert centre's employees remained in Saint-Hubert. The changes were most noticeable at the Longueuil centre whose surface area and workforce were almost doubled. There are now 18 foremen at both centres, including three additional foremen at Longueuil due to major maintenance activities that have been centralized there.

The service station, a concept that has reorganized maintenance activities
The service station is a fine example of the way we do things here. Our service station is not simply a new-generation gas station, but rather a team concept where the crew immediately performs corrective maintenance work, allowing their colleagues to focus on preventive maintenance as part of an overall fleet maintenance program.

This requires a greater versatility from our tradespeople who perform mechanical and bodywork, as well as some electrical work. These workers now have quicker access to parts, and vehicles are positioned near maintenance bays to minimize employee movements. A bus that requires more than two hours' work is sent to major repairs, while any work that can be performed in less than two hours is quickly returned into service.

The service station is operated around the clock from Monday to Friday, and from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Since Fridays nights are busier than before, the station service mechanics are hard at work to make sure that everything is always ready for Saturday morning.

Refuelling schedules
Since vehicle problems can be detected during refuelling, the buses are refuelled early enough to allow a service station mechanic to perform any required repairs on time.

Also, to ensure availability during the morning peak period, the buses have to be refuelled, cleaned, checked, and their fare boxes emptied before the first buses drive out at 4:30 a.m. This is why the refuelling personnel's schedule has be modified. Most employees now work from 7:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. instead of 10:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Saint-Hubert centre
The centre's configuration remains a physical constraint we have to deal with. It will always be two garages in one: two storerooms, two refuelling stations, two bus parking areas, two employee rooms, etc. However, to limit inconveniences, refuelling at garage 2 is only performed evenings and weekends. 

Before the reorganization, the Saint-Hubert centre took care of 216 buses while the Longueuil centre maintained a fleet of 131 buses. Today, Saint-Hubert has 173 buses and Longueuil has 171. This is the balance that management wanted. Ideally, buses of a same series should be assigned to the same centre. This is why the AG 300 buses, which will be delivered in 2003 to serve the 45 and 90 routes, will be stationed in Saint-Hubert, while the next order of Nova LFS buses will be delivered to the Longueuil centre.

What are the advantages of this operation?
The expansion project has enabled us to reorganize all maintenance activities. In Longueuil, the maintenance shops and service bays are now larger, brighter and more functional than before. In Saint-Hubert, vehicles will no longer be parked outdoors!

In summary

Ten bus routes (regular and school) were transferred to Longueuil.
Each centre now maintains about the same number of buses.
The number of drivers a each centre is about the same; Longueuil has 65 more drivers than before.
The number of maintenance employees (vehicles and buildings) at each centre has switched since major work is now performed at Longueuil.

			At the new "one-stop" store in Vieux-Longueuil, employees can get mechanical, electrical and body parts. The storeroom coordinator is supported by a team of 13 storekeepers, in addition to a general storekeeper and a courier.
The operating centres' reorganization required a redistribution of maintenance parts. To anticipate needs, we analyzed the parts consumption history for each bus series and reapportioned the parts inventory accordingly.

The Minister of Transportation, Guy Chevrette, the President of the STRSM (now the RTL), Claude Gladu, and the then General Manager, Pierre Vandelac, officially launched the expansion project on April 6, 2001, in Longueuil.