This change was expected — and long overdue — but it’s a breath of fresh air for Montreal-area transit users fed up of enduring long lineups to reload their OPUS cards.
As of Wednesday, people can use the mobile app Chrono to buy tickets and passes on their phones, paying with credit and debit cards as well as Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Using the Chrono app, users can scan their OPUS cards by holding them up against the back of their smartphones and then complete the transaction.
“This feature offers more flexibility to OPUS cardholders,” reads a statement from the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), the transit authority for the Montreal region.
The Chrono app also allows users to check the number of tickets left on their cards and check schedules for buses, the Metro, exo trains and the Réseau express métropolitain (REM).
In recent weeks, nearly 15,000 transit users in the region tried out the app to make sure it was ready for Wednesday’s official launch. Last month, the ARTM said the success rate was around 94 per cent.
Good Question, Montreal15:43How can we make the Opus card simpler?
As of this week, some Montreal-area transit users are now able to reload their Opus cards with the Chrono app, instead of waiting in long lines at kiosks. The function is expected to be rolled out widely this month. But we still can’t tap payment cards to ride and have to make sure we’ve bought tickets for the right zone. Some Montreal transit advocates say it’s time to think outside the fare box.