The STM revealed Montreal's top 5 busiest bus lines and metro stations

If you take the bus or metro in Montreal, you can probably relate to being overcome with panic when the door slides open and you're forced to pack yourself in like a sardine. On the flip side, it's always a relief to get a seat and a little breathing room.

While you likely have your unofficial guesses as to which Montreal bus lines and metro stations are the busiest, we now have the official rankings thanks to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM)'s 2023 Annual Report, which was released earlier this year.

Some of the top spots seem obvious, but others may surprise you.

These are the 5 busiest metro stations (inbound) and bus lines (by average weekday) for 2023, according to the STM.

Busiest metro stations (inbound)

Starting with the busiest:

Note: Figures represent the number of people who entered the station.

1. Berri-UQAM (8,682,816)
2. McGill (7,623,602)*
3. Guy-Concordia (7,344,380)*
4. Côte-Vertu (6,844,188)
5. Atwater (5,884,878)

With Berri-UQAM being a transfer stop between the orange and green lines, as well as the city's only metro portal to Parc Jean-Drapeau and Longueuil, it makes sense that it earned the top spot.

It's also not shocking that there are so many riders in the heart of downtown, near major universities. However, it's interesting that these particular stations are busier than other core green and orange line stops, such as Peel, Place-des-Arts, Place D’Armes, Bonaventure and Lionel-Groulx, another popular point of transfer between the green and orange lines.

Busiest bus routes (by average weekday)

Starting with the busiest:

Note: Figures represent the number of people who boarded the bus.

1. 165- Côte-des-Neiges (20,698)
2. 121- Sauvé / Côte-Vertu (20,593)
3. 67- Saint-Michel (19,921)
4. 141- Jean-Talon East (19,710)
5. 51- Édouard-Montpetit (18,209)

Growing ridership on the 165 Côte-des-Neiges is noteworthy, increasing by 2,081 riders (11%) — by far the largest year to year increase compared to the other lines on the list. The previous year, in 2022, the 121 Sauvé / Côte-Vertu, 67 Saint-Michel and 141 Jean-Talon Est all saw more ridership than the 165 Côte-des-Neiges.

Both the 121 Sauvé / Côte-Vertu and 51 Édouard-Montpetit actually saw slight decreases in ridership in 2023.

Overall, the STM says more than 288 million trips were made by STM customers in 2023, an increase of 21% compared to 2022. The STM attributes this to the return of in-office workers who were working remotely during the pandemic, the resumption of tourism and the implementation of free fare for users aged 65 and up.

According to the STM, ridership was up to nearly 80% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023.

*The STM's 2023 report lists Guy-Concordia as the second busiest metro station and McGill as the third busiest; however, their figures, which represent the number of people who entered each station, suggest otherwise. We have updated the article to accurately reflect the data they've provided.

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

This article has been updated since it was originally published on May 3, 2024.