HOW TO NAVIGATE PUBLIC TRANSIT IN MONTREAL

 Montreal has long been praised for its excellent public transit system, thanks to its extensive metro and bus systems which allow you to travel around Montreal easily without even renting a car. However, there are some tricks and tips to be aware of before arriving in Montreal, so you can use the Metro and bus systems to their full potential.

The first thing to do upon arrival in Montreal is to buy a fare card for your stay. If you are staying in Montreal for an extended period of time, I would suggest getting an OPUS card, which is a smart card on which you can charge all STM transit fares, with the exception of group fares, which are available on tickets only. OPUS cards are used by most transit authorities in the Greater Montréal area, and in the Québec City area. The cost of an OPUS card is $6, and you must charge it with a fare for at least one trip. If you are only going to be there for 3 days, I would get a 3-day pass, for Zone A, which cost $21.25. If you are there for a week, the weekly pass, for $29.00. Please note that there will be new fares on July 1st. To encourage people to ride public transit, STM allows up to five Children ages 11 and under to ride public transit for free when being accompanied by a person aged 14 or older supervising them. Residents of Montreal 65+ also ride free in Zone A. The bus and métro are still your best options to get to the main landmarks, which is why you should get familiar with using it before you arrive.

Metro System

The award-winning Montreal metro system is simply known as “le metro,”—not the subway or underground, which are common tourist misnomers. The metro has 4 color-coded lines (orange, green, blue, and yellow) and 68 stops. While that might sound intimidating, the metro is actually very easy to locate and ride, and is the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B in Montreal. Metro stations are easy to find around Montreal, simply look for blue-and-white arrow signs around Montreal, which take you to below-ground metro stations. When you ride the Metro in Montreal, odds arre that you will also be in Montreal's Underground city, a 20-mile network of pedestrian footpaths and shopping malls that are a blast to explore. Not only is the Underground City perfect for souvenir shopping, but its tunnels and walkways are ideal for breaks from Montreal’s icy winter weather.  

The Metro system is pretty simple to understand, There are two metro lines that will get you to most sites and attractions in Montreal. Metro Line 1 or the Green Line, goes through the heart of Downtown Montreal, starting from Angrignon and ending service in Honoré-Beaugrand. The Other Metro line that gets used heavily is Metro Line 2 or the Orange Line, which starts in Côte-Vertu and stops service in Montmorency. The Blue line will also get used seldomly; it starts in Snowdon and seizes service in Saint-Michel. Stations that can be used for transfers are Berri-UQAM, which allows you to change to the Green, Orange, and Yellow Lines; Lionel-Groulx allows you to change between the green and orange lines; Jean-Talon allows you to interchange between the Blue line and orange line. Bonaventure is also a very popular metro station, as it is just a short walk from the Gare Central station. 

Bus Service

Public buses run 24/7 and cover more ground than the metro; also part of the STM, the city's public buses have 220 lines, far more than the metro and focused on more specific areas of the city. Real-time bus schedules and arrival and departure updates are available on the STM website and can also be found on Canadian transit apps. There are two essential things to remember about Montreal’s public buses: First: metro and bus passes can be used interchangeably, but only for a 90-minute period and with a special pass from the bus driver or conductor. (Yes, it sounds a bit convoluted, but Montreal travel experts recommend using this feature if you’re visiting for a day or two.) Second, if you don’t have the aforementioned Opus card, you’ll need to pay the driver the exact amount in Canadian coins, keeping in mind that you won’t get the change back. 

Tips for traveling smart

Get alerts about métro service disruptions. Customize your alerts to suit your needs and choose between email or text alerts. Service updates are also available on Twitter from our four métro accounts (@stm_Verte, @stm_Orange, @stm_Bleue, @stm_Jaune) and the new @stm_bus account. Load up to three 10-trip fares. If you’ve been going out less since the start of the pandemic, you may have already switched to using our 10-trip fare. These fares never expire, so you can stock up on them with your OPUS card to make sure you don’t run out. Protect your fare balance by registering your OPUS card. You will be able to keep your fares if you lose your card. Use the OPUS card reader. For only $19.60, the OPUS card reader lets you skip the line and buy any transit fare, anytime, without leaving the house. Buy your OPUS card reader now. Register your OPUS card, and if it’s ever lost or stolen, you’ll be able to get your balance back. 

Thanks to Montreal's vast, efficient, and easy-to-use public transportation system, travelers to Montreal should have no issue getting from one point of interest to another within minutes, which will make your travel much more productive than having to drive everywhere.