Montreal-area transit users can now reload Opus cards on a phone

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.

WATCH | How does new Opus card payment system work?:

No more long lines: Montreal-area transit users can now use their phones to refill Opus cards

8 months ago

Duration 1:29

People can use the Chrono mobile app to buy passes and tickets, completing transactions with credit and debit cards as well as Google Pay and Apple Pay.

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.

Life after Opus cards

Despite the addition of this latest feature, the ARTM says the Opus card system is nearing its end.

The next system, referred to as Opus 2.0, will allow transit users to use their credit and debit cards as well as the virtual wallets in their phones to pay for bus, Metro, train and REM access. 

Right now, people using Laval's transit service are able to pay with their bank and credit cards. The ARTM says that feature will start to become available in more regions as of this fall, and the goal is to roll out the Opus 2.0 system, which would include payments with smartphones, as early as 2026. 

The ARTM says the call-for-tender process is already underway.

LISTEN | Exploring ways to improve the Opus card system:

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.