Montreal transit: Some users to test boarding by tapping phones

Lionel-Groulx mMetro station is seen in Montreal on Friday, Dec.6, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Montreal public transit users might be able to board the bus or Metro with just a tap of their smartphone starting later this year.

The regional transit authority confirmed that it is testing the new functionality this summer with a small sample of users in the Greater Montreal area.

Under the “alpha” version of the test phase, first reported by La Presse on Monday, users would be able to load their transit tickets or fares directly onto their smartphones and then scan the phone over a reader using near-field communication (NFC) technology when passing through the turnstiles.

Testing will be done in waves, with the number of testers increasing gradually, Simon Boiteau, a spokesperson with the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), wrote in an email to CTV News.

“The aim is to obtain feedback from users with a variety of mobile devices and, if necessary, make the necessary adjustments to the beta version,” Boiteau added.

Depending on how well testing goes this summer, the feature could be rolled out on a gradual basis to the rest of the customers by the end of fall 2025.

The ability to pay for a fare directly with a smartphone or a bank card is scheduled to launch in 2026.

Since April 2024, transit users have been able to load fares onto their OPUS cards, also via NFC, by using the Chrono mobile app for iOS and Android devices.