Harmonized transit fares announced
As long promised, harmonized transit fares have been announced by the ARTM. A single fare on the island of Montreal remains $3.50 for now, and a monthly pass $94 as of July, which is when this new system goes live. More details in the article.
There are already mixed reactions.
Blork 08:48 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
After reading three articles about this I still have no idea how it’s supposed to work, at least for people like me who live in “Zone B.”
“Zone B will cover Laval and Longueuil. A single ticket for Zones A and B will cost $5.25 and a monthly pass will cost $150.”
Does that single ticket $5.25 include the necessary ride on the Longueuil or Laval bus? (Presumably.) But what if you’re just riding from one place to another in Longueuil? Do you have to buy the $5.25 ticket? (Hopefully not.) But when you’re boarding a bus in Longueuil with the intention of going to Montreal, how do you specify you’re paying a $5.25 two-zone ticket and not a less expensive zone-B only ticket? Do you pay the bus driver? Do you need to have two ticket types on your Opus card? How do you tell the Opus reader which ticket to use? When you get to the Metro in Longueuil, how does the Metro know you already paid when you got on the bus in Longueuil?
Also: my monthly passes were $150 before the pandemic. Under the new system it sounds like it will still be $150, yet the articles keep telling me I’ll be saving money. FFS!
James 09:30 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
I just received by new OPUS card in the mail (OPUS à l’année). I pay $85.50 per month right now. Apparently the new Zone A card that I received is good for all bus, metro, and adapted transport from the STM and also the REM and commuter trains within the island of Montreal. So if the new price is $94 starting in July this is $10 extra to add commuter trains (which I never take) and the REM (which isn’t open yet). With hybrid working, you will need to go to work at least 14 times a month before the monthly pass at 85$ starts saving you money (compared to a 10-trip ticket at $3 per trip). If it went up to $94 then it would be 16 days a month at the office.
Monthly pass looking very marginal…
James 10:22 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
Blork: You can refer to this document: https://www.artm.quebec/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Grille-tarifaire_TR_2022-2023.pdf
Zone B only : $3.50 (1 trip) / $105 (monthly)
Zone AB : $5.25 (1-trip) / $150 (monthly)
If you had an OPUS card with both B and AB fares loaded and you took a bus in Longueuil and then entered the metro it is likely that you would be charged two times: the B fare on the bus then the AB fare on the metro.
The solution would be to have two different OPUS cards each with different fares. If you are travelling only within zone B use the OPUS-B and if you were travelling to zone A, use the OPUS-AB for both validations (bus and metro).
MarcG 10:35 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
Sounds like simplification has been achieved!
Uatu 10:51 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
Oh yay. 184$. For a longer commute. And even longer if I’m working weekends or evenings. So great. What an improvement in my life. All you public transport wonks who are forcing me to use the REM and charging me more can go fuck yourselves
Blork 15:47 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
Thanks James. But as MarcG points out (I assume sarcastically) “simplification achieved!”
As in: not. Needing two juggle Opus cards, and needing to keep track of which is which, and which needs refills and how, etc.? Nope.
Tim S. 20:25 on 2022-04-29 Permalink
So a round trip from a South Shore residence to the city will cost 17$. This will reduce car use how?