It will cost more to travel by public transit in Greater Montreal. Several fares will increase as of July 1, including that of the ticket on the island of Montreal, which will increase from $3.50 to $3.75.
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This is the first increase in the unit ticket since 2019, announced the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) on Wednesday morning.
To have two passages in zone A, which covers the island of Montreal, you will also have to pay more, by paying $7 instead of $6.50. The monthly plan will see an increase of $3, from $94 to $97.
Transit tickets in Greater Montreal are subject to an average indexation of 3%. This increase is applied for unit tickets when it reaches 25 cents, ie approximately every five years.
“We have an increase which is responsible in the current context. For us, this is very good news,” said the director general of the ARTM, Benoît Gendron.
Remember that the organization is currently facing a deficit of $500 million.
The cost of All Modes AB tickets, which allow you to travel from Longueuil or Laval to Montreal, for example, will remain unchanged.
The price of this ticket had already experienced a significant jump during the fare overhaul carried out last July.
Users then had to pay $5.25 for a single ticket compared to $3.50 in 2021. Faced with the discontent of passengers, the ARTM had revised the price downwards by imposing it at $4.50.
“Unfortunately, the ARTM intends to increase this price in July 2024,” lamented Axel Fournier, spokesperson for the Association for collective transport of the South Shore (ATCRS).
Tickets adapted to teleworkers
Wishing to offer an alternative to the monthly pass for teleworkers who do not travel every day, the ARTM is offering new tickets valid for 72 hours and others for 24 hours outside Montreal.
“The three busiest days in our networks for 18 months are really Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays,” explained Simon Charbonneau, director of public affairs and communications at the ARTM.
For those who do not go to the office three days in a row, the ARTM does not offer a new solution.
“The title for the classic teleworker who perhaps goes to work on two fixed days is the 10 passages. It allows you to go back and forth when you want and on the days you want, “said Antoine Perron, senior pricing and funding policy advisor at the ARTM.
The three-day ticket will go on sale for zones A and B from June 1.
The more expensive REM for people on the South Shore
With the imminent arrival of the REM, the ATCRS denounces a concept of “double standards” between suburban users and Montrealers.
Commuters will not be able to use the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) within Brossard without paying the price of a ticket that also covers Montreal, which increases the price.
“From July 1, the occasional user who wants to travel with the REM between two stations in Brossard will have to pay $4.50, compared to $3.75 for a bus trip,” explained Axel Fournier.
“However, a trip between L’Île-des-Sœurs and Central Station in Montreal will cost $3.75, regardless of the mode used,” he added.
Mr. Gendron explained that it is technically impossible to set up a ticket for the REM or the metro only in the suburbs.
“The title that we would call “all mode B”, we will eventually [le] put in place when we are going to change the OPUS system”, he reacted.