Montreal commuters could soon tap cellphones to board public transit
Public transit authority says eventual goal is to have contactless payments when boarding bus, Metro
Public transit riders in the Montreal area may soon be able to validate their fares using only their smartphones, as the region's transit authority begins testing a new feature in the Chrono app.
This is part of an ongoing effort to upgrade payment systems so one day, users can pay with their bank card as they enter the Metro or bus, as is done in other cities.
The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) says the new feature will allow users to purchase and load transit passes directly in the Chrono app, enabling fare validation using their smartphones. This digital solution operates separately from the physical Opus card, which remains in use for those not participating in the app-based system.
Testing of the digital fare system will roll out in phases starting this summer and continue through the fall.
In the first phase, ARTM employees will try the feature, followed by a group of selected participants from the agency's Parlons Mobilité panel, the ARTM says in an email to CBC News.
These early users will be able to buy and load transit passes through Chrono and validate them on the network using their phones.
Participants will be asked to share their feedback via a questionnaire. After the testing phase, the ARTM says this new system could roll out by late fall.
"The innovation of smartphone-based validation aims to better meet the evolving needs of customers by providing new channels for ticket purchasing and validation, simplifying their public transit experience," the ARTM says in the email.
While the long-term goal includes allowing direct payment by bank card through phones, ARTM says that's a separate upgrade requiring a new ticketing system. A call for tenders for that overhaul is underway, with deployment targeted for 2026.
The agency emphasized that the new Chrono app feature is not a digital replica of the Opus card. At this stage, no link will exist between the app and physical cards or passes, and the Opus card will remain a valid option for fare validation. Further details will be shared as the project advances.
Step in the right direction, expert says
Ahmed El-Geneidy, a professor at McGill University's School of Urban Planning, said this is a small step, but a good step — especially for younger generations who pay for everything with their phone.
"So it can help in retaining some of these riders longer because of convenience and make them happy," said El-Geneidy. "Open payment like London is the next step and they have to go there sooner or later. They just keep pushing it."
It's not just London that allows contactless payments as users enter the tube or a double-decker bus. People using the transit service in Laval, Que., have been able to pay with their bank and credit cards for some time.
In Vancouver, public transit, including the SkyTrain, can be paid for by tapping a contactless card as you enter the station or bus.
When that comes along, El-Geneidy said fare capping will be important. That means you pay a small amount every day with the same card until you reach the monthly pass price and it stops charging for the rest of the month.
This payment plan is particularly useful for people living on a low income who cannot afford to pay upfront for a monthly pass, he said.
Group wants on-time, reliable service 1st
Philippe Jacques, spokesperson for the public transit advocacy group Trajectoire Québec, said his group would like to see Montreal-area services be more timely and efficient before focusing on payment methods, but every step forward is welcome.
The new system will make it easier to take the Metro and bus, but it's not as easy as it could be, said Jacques. These systems cost money to implement, he said, but "it's better to have a better subway system and bus system."
He said it's been more than a year that users can recharge their Opus cards on their phones, but efforts to make it easier to access the public transit system are not going as fast as they should.
"We would like it to go further and go faster," said Jacques. "But we know it's a bit complicated to have all the different types of payments. We know it's not that easy."
When the ARTM unveiled its new service of allowing users to reload their Opus cards via the Chrono app in April of last year, it said the Opus card system was nearing its end.
The next system, referred to as Opus 2.0, will allow transit users to use their credit and debit cards as well as the virtual wallets in their phones to pay for bus, Metro, train and REM access.
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With files from Antoni Nerestant