ARTM wants to simplify transit fares
We’ve known for years that the patchwork of different transit systems around Montreal means there are 700 different possible fares within the metropolitan area. There’s been talk before about simplifying this, but now the ARTM says it’s going to create four zones and four types of pass to simplify the whole thing.
Right away, looking at the map in this piece, it makes no sense to me. Evidently they’re still thinking in terms of “distance from the island of Montreal” as the dominant fact of life, so that distant suburbs on the edges are all jammed into 4, and Longueuil and Laval are bedded down together in 2. It seems to me the zones ought to include contiguous suburbs, rather than categorizing the zones in terms of distance from town. The whole south shore should be 2, Laval and the couronne nord should be 3. Don’t ask me what to do with Repentigny and Vaudreuil – I don’t believe those places really exist.
Jonathan 11:37 on 2020-09-04 Permalink
There really is a lack of detail in that article. I hope for and what I am assuming that there will also be a price based on how many zones you cross. So that if you stay entirely within zone 3, then the cost would be the same as those on the island of Montreal who purchases a Zone 1 fare (so 90$ for a monthly pass). If you live in Rosemere but work in Laval, you would pay a pass based on 2 zones (so $144 a month).
Jonathan 11:38 on 2020-09-04 Permalink
https://repensonslamobilite.quebec/
That’s the website for the consultation mentioned in the article.
Kevin 11:40 on 2020-09-04 Permalink
Jonathan
Close. They’re proposing that a single-zone pass would be $90 for the island, and $100 for the other zones.
There’s a chart which I don’t have a link to which indicates the price would be for how many zones you cross.
Jonathan 11:41 on 2020-09-04 Permalink
Sorry for yet another comment. It seems that what I mentioned above is the approach. If you see page 2 of this document, there is a simple chart: https://repensonslamobilite.quebec/media/default/0001/01/cbcff9534c8a78b5bb9d6c95f2f5a54cf9e92976.pdf
david25 17:23 on 2020-09-04 Permalink
Man, when the REM comes online with a pass like this, it’s going to radically altar the spatial psychology of the city. The idea of zipping from McGill or Griffintown to UdeM is just radical, truly wild. Same with the idea of getting to nun’s island or Sainte Anne de Bellevue (ish) by rapid transit.
The blue line is going to be a lot more useful, no question. (Now if they would just extend it to Montreal West.)
There’ll be a surcharge to the airport, for sure, but that’ll still be one immense change.