Public transit users in the Montreal region will soon be able to swipe their smartphones instead of their Opus cards to board the bus, m\u00e9tro and commuter trains. Starting in early 2026, thousands of users will be invited to try the new system, which is being rolled out gradually to iron out technical glitches before being offered to the masses. Digital payment options have been slower to get off the ground in Montreal than elsewhere. #montreal<\/a> #stm<\/a> #opus<\/a> #publictransit<\/a> #metro<\/a> <\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 Montreal Gazette<\/a> <\/p>\n The rollout for virtual fare purchasing has been a long time coming. As early as 2021, the ARTM announced it would allow some fares to be purchased using smartphones on a trial basis<\/a>.<\/p>\n It took nearly two more years before the ARTM finally launched a call for tenders<\/a> in March 2023 for a software solution to allow users to purchase fares online. The goal was for the service to be available at the beginning of 2024.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t until the middle of 2024 that the ARTM announced it would begin allowing certain users to purchase fares as part of a test to the system.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear why it took two years longer than expected to grant the functionality to Android users.<\/p>\n The ARTM is also currently in the midst of a two-year pilot project to test the functionality of allowing users to pay on board buses, trains and m\u00e9tros using their debit or credit cards. Since the end of 2024, certain buses in the Laurentides region have allowed this option as the first part of an eventual rollout. There is still no timeline on when this will be available for the general public. Credit card and debit card payment has been an option on Laval\u2019s STL buses for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the ARTM was not immediately available for comment.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tYou’ll often see Jason Magder donning a hard hat and florescent vest at a local construction site. As The Gazette’s transportation reporter for more than a decade, he has seen the new Champlain Bridge built, the old one demolished and followed the ups and downs of the city’s transit system. He has been covering news in Montreal for 25 years.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tjmagder@postmedia.com![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jm23-0418-Jason-Magd.MT_.jpg\")
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