Bye, OPUS cards — Here's when Montreal transit riders can expect to pay with smartphones

Montreal's public transportation authority has taken the first step toward giving transit riders the option to trade OPUS cards for smartphones. So, kiss your OPUS card goodbye (though not actually because it's probably filthy and you'll still need it for quite a while) and get ready to (eventually) pay your fare by tapping your phone.*

On August 6, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) officially issued a 'call for tenders' for the "Implementation of mobile OPUS card emulation solutions" on the Système électronique d'appel d'offres du gouvernement du Québec. This essentially means the ARTM has kicked off the process of digitizing OPUS cards by asking IT contractors to bid for the opportunity to work on the project with them.

The 'call for tenders' notice explains that the ARTM is looking to complete its 'OPUS on mobile' update, which began with the implementation of phone-based recharging for OPUS cards last April.

Remember when we had to line up at kiosks or plug a clunky card reader into our computers to simply load our cards with funds? Well, this next foray into the modern world — aka phase two — takes that a step further by introducing contactless payments.

Based on documents attached to the 'call for tender,' the service will be accessible on both Androids and iPhones via the Chrono app, and will allow you to select from multiple cards to pick the one you want to use. If everything goes according to the ARTM's plan, you won't need to have your Chrono app open to validate your ticket. For instance, the virtual card would be available in your Apple Wallet.

But don't toss your physical OPUS card just yet. It's going to take some time before the new feature is ready to be implemented.

The ARTM's Concerto team, responsible for this upgrade, announced in June that "the gradual roll-out of OPUS card scanning by smartphone will begin in the summer of 2025."

That said, a pilot project for payment by bank card on buses is already underway in Laval, and the ARTM said it will be expanded to certain north shore exo lines this fall, giving you a taste of the convenience to come.

The ARTM's deadline for tender submissions is September 19 — only a month away. Once the contract is awarded, documents suggest the team wants to move as quickly as possible to get the project moving so the new feature is in our hands (literally) by next year.

*Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that OPUS cards would be "replaced" by smartphones, rendering them extinct. It has been updated to clarify that physical OPUS cards are still expected to be an option once mobile payments are made available via smartphones.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.