STM dreams of integrated transit application

The STM has an idea for an integrated transit application that would bring public transit, Bixi, taxis and car-sharing together in one place. They’ve already named it Céleste.

What concerns me is Philippe Schnobb’s idea that the app would bill users after the fact. The great thing about buying a monthly pass up front is that it’s unlimited so you don’t have to keep tabs on how many trips you’ve used or whether you’re racking up too much of a bill. An app like this would keep a tally instead and would be capable of billing you for every ride – possibly even for mileage.