Winter sometimes has a few tricks up its sleeve that can affect your travel. Here are some important things to know before you head out so you don’t have to wait as long at stops when the weather affects our services.

    Check RTC Notices regularly!

    We issue an RTC Notice as soon as we know that the weather or an incident will disrupt the entire network. Notices are posted alongside the online schedule for all routes and are shared on the following tools:

    RTC Notice Content

    Updated by the passenger information team as soon as the situation changes

    • Detoured routes
    • Cancelled departures (for less-frequent routes)
    • Cancelled buses
    • Average wait times or delays
    • Things to keep in mind when looking up real-time bus schedules

    Routes to Watch

    Any route can be altered if road conditions become difficult. However, buses that travel on steep roads or in windy areas are more likely to be diverted, such as:

    Check the Service status page regularly to find out if your bus has been diverted.

    Note that special signs are installed on the route of the detour of routes 1, 13 and 13A (Avenue D'Entremont sector) to identify the places to wait for these routes when they are detoured.

    Other Tips

    When the road network is disrupted by rain, snow, hail, or heavy snow removal:

    • Leave yourself more time.
    • See if you can make the trip at a different time.
    • Look for the real-time wave icon on our tools to see if your bus is on its way.
    • You can track your bus in real time on the route map on the website and mobile app and check for cancelled stops. Real time is calculated based on distance. If a bus is stopped somewhere due to a red light or traffic, the time listed will stay the same.
    • Bundle up.

    Snow Removal and Stop Accessibility

    In periods of heavy snowfall, teams work day and night to clear the snow or ice as quickly as possible for as many customers as possible:

    • Snow is removed from sidewalk stop areas by the City of Quebec, usually within eight hours of the last snowfall.
    • Snow is removed from Parc-O-Bus as soon as 5 cm or more of snow has fallen. This usually takes 18 hours.
    • Bus shelters are shoveled and de-iced within eight days of the latest snowfall, in the following order:
      1. Terminals
      2. Old Quebec and the Old Port
      3. Métrobus routes
      4. Downtown
      5. Suburbs

    If there is ice or snow accumulation, it may not be possible to get on and off at some accessible stops.

      Check STAC Notices regularly!

      Notices are published as soon as we know that the weather will affect the service offered. STAC Notices are posted on the following information tools: