Montreal Transit Riders Will Soon Tap Phones at Turnstiles

Starting in July, a small group of Montreal transit users will begin testing a new feature that allows them to tap their phone at metro and bus turnstiles using their OPUS card or transit tickets stored digitally.

The pilot program, reported by La Presse, is being led by the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) and marks a huge step in the city’s digital shift toward mobile transit access.

The trial will roll out in three phases, with each wave including more users. Participants will be chosen from the Parlons mobilité panel, a group of volunteers who provide feedback on transit habits. The early version, referred to as the “alpha,” is meant to test how the system works across a variety of mobile devices and gather feedback before a wider release.

According to ARTM spokesperson Simon Boiteau, the goal is to adjust the system based on user feedback and prepare for a broader public launch, likely in the fall. At first, only the most-used fare types, such as single tickets and monthly passes, will be supported. Eventually, different types of digital transit cards will be available, which could simplify things for suburban commuters juggling multiple fare zones.

While mobile ticket validation is moving ahead, paying for fares directly with a phone or credit card won’t be available until at least mid-2026. Currently, some isolated projects, such as tap-to-pay options in Laval and on certain Exo lines, are being tested, but a full rollout is still years away.

In the meantime, OPUS users in the Greater Montreal area have been able to reload their cards via smartphone since April 2024 using the Chrono app (available on iOS and Android). Despite a rocky start, the feature has since stabilized, logging hundreds of thousands of successful transactions.

This initiative is part of ARTM’s broader “’Concerto’ project, a whopping $160-million plan to modernize the region’s public transit system. By 2027, Concerto aims to integrate multiple modes of transport—including buses, metro, REM, bike share, car share, taxis, and even e-scooters—into one digital platform. Under political pressure to speed up the transition, the ARTM recently closed bidding on a software provider for the final stages of the project.

Now, the key here is whether the ARTM will support Apple Pay’s Express Mode, which allows users to pay for transit fares by simply tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch on a contactless reader without unlocking the device. The feature also works for up to five hours after your device runs out of battery.

On the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), Express Mode is supported across all subway stations, buses, streetcars, and accessible taxis, enabling quick and seamless fare payments using credit or debit cards in Apple Wallet, and PRESTO cards also support this feature.