We take it for granted in Montreal that any time we descend the escalator to the underground platform, a métro train will arrive shortly to whisk us to another part of the city. It happens every few minutes from early morning until after midnight.

Ditto for the bus. If we stand at the stop long enough — and sometimes it’s a while, depending on the (in)frequency of the route or delays caused by traffic — the bus will eventually pull up to the curb and off we’ll go.

It’s a critical service we depend on, but one we often take it for granted.

So Montrealers could be in for a rude awakening next week. If maintenance workers at the Société de transport de Montréal make good on a plan to go on strike, métro and bus service will be drastically curtailed.

Because public transit is an essential service — a sign of its importance — it can’t be halted completely. But the reduced schedule that the Tribunal administratif du Québec signed off on will still be a shock.

Service will operate at normal levels only during three time slots each day, starting Monday. The métro will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 9:38 a.m., 2:45 p.m. to 5:48 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Buses will run from 6:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.., 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Outside those hours,........

© Montreal Gazette