Montreal Fare Overhaul: Movement Towards Seamless Transit
Transit in the greater Montreal metropolitan area has been operating for nearly 40 years with 17 fare structures and over 750 different fares.
The regional transit planning agency for greater Montreal, The Autorite regionale de transport metropolitan (ARTM), recently unveiled a complete overhaul to these old fare structures. With it, public transit for many in the area will become less expensive, simpler, and more seamless.
Phase One
In July 2021, the ARTM launched the first phase of their fare overhaul, with the largest change being a reduction in the number of transit zones. While there were previously 8, the greater Montreal area is now defined by 4 transit zones:
The island of Montreal (zone A)
Laval and Longueuil (zone B)
Northern and southern suburbs beyond Laval and Longueuil (zone C)
Areas outside of ARTM authority (zone D)
The next big change in phase 1 was the introduction of new “All Modes” fares that cover all modes of transit in a single zone. Transportation within each of these new zones on their own, whether by metro, bus, train, or the new Reseau Express Metropolitain (REM), will now be covered by a single basic fare of $3.50, with a plan of replacing almost all transit fares with “All Modes” fares by the completion of the overhaul in 2024.
For phase 1, these changes were rolled out in the northern and southern outer suburbs alone, as the rollout in Montreal would need to wait until phase 2 of the overhaul a year later. However, in the summer of 2021, the ARTM introduced more new policies in Montreal aimed at boosting ridership and equitable access. These included free rides for children under the age of 11 (while accompanied by a ticket holder over 14), a 70% decrease in fares for Montrealers aged 65 and over, and a 40% decrease in fares for full time students age 18 or older.
Phase Two
On July 1, 2022, the ARTM launched the second phase of their fare overhaul, with a focus on the remaining zones and extending the new “All Modes” passes to the administrative region of Montreal, as well as the administrative region of Laval and Longueuil. Now riders traveling on the island of Montreal, as well as any of the other three transit zones, can use any form of transit in that zone for a single basic fare of $3.50.
In addition to these single fares, phase two included the introduction of “All Modes” monthly passes, which range in price based on their use. A $94 monthly pass is available for all modes of transit on the island of Montreal, while passes for all modes of transport that carry commuters on and off the island will range from $150 to $255 a month, depending on the distance the rider must travel and how many transit zones they must traverse.
Challenges and Lessons for Seamless Transit
With such a massive overhaul of fare structures for so many people, it is inevitable that while many will see reduced fares along with a simpler and more seamless transit system, some may see their monthly transit costs rise. This is the case, for example, for riders who only use the STM but will now have to purchase an all-access pass, raising their monthly costs from $90.50 to $94. Students who previously paid $212 for four-month STM passes will now have to pay $8 more, and the 747 bus and day passes will cost $11, up from $10 previously.
However, these cases are relatively limited, with many riders (such as those combining bus and metro to get from zone B to zone A) seeing significant savings after the overhaul. These small increases in price for some riders pale in comparison to the widespread benefit of refining and simplifying an overly complicated transit system. Like in the Bay Area today, with our 27 separate transit agencies, greater Montreal struggled for decades trying to utilize a system that was overly complicated, disconnected, and therefore inaccessible for many. However, with harmonized fares across all modes of transit, these barriers to ridership for many are being chipped away. A person in Montreal can now pay a single fare and seamlessly transfer between transit agencies, easily and efficiently traveling all four zones using only public transit. This is where the true benefits of an overhaul like this lie; not just in individual savings, but in the act of making public transit less daunting, and therefore a more viable option for many more riders.
Given the similarities of our fragmented transit systems, these improvements hold a number of lessons for our region. The sheer number of Bay Area transit agencies, combined with the lack of coordination between them, continues to punish riders with delays, missed connections, duplicate fares and other challenges. Our region’s transit agencies would be wise to look to Montreal and the ARTM for inspiration as we pursue a more seamless and accessible transit system. This is not an easy task, but we know from these and other metropolitan areas that creating a more regionally integrated and accessible transit system is both achievable and profoundly beneficial to riders.