Exo provides 219 bus lines, on-demand transit and paratransit service throughout the outer suburbs and exurbs of the Greater Montreal region of Canada.[3]
 | |||
| Parent | Exo | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | June 1, 2017[1] | ||
| Service area | Northern and southern suburbs of Greater Montreal | ||
| Service type | |||
| Routes |
| ||
| Hubs | 11 terminuses[2] | ||
| Annual ridership |
| ||
| Website | exo | ||
| |||
History
editPrior to June 2017, bus service within the greater region of Montréal was provided by a number of different municipal services and local transit agencies known as Conseils intermunicipaux de transport (intermunicipal boards of transport, or CIT).[4] These local agencies were coordinated since 1997 by the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT).
On June 1, 2017, the Réseau de transport métropolitain (RTM), later rebranded Exo, took over service operation of twelve former CITs and local transit agencies:[5]
- CIT Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan (CITCRC, branded as Blus)
- CIT Haut-Saint-Laurent (CITHSL)
- CIT La Presqu'Île
- CIT Laurentides (CITL)
- CIT Le Richelain
- CIT Roussillon
- CIT Sorel-Varennes (CITSV)
- CIT Vallée du Richelieu (CITVR)
- CIT Sud-Ouest (CITSO)
- Réseau de transport collectif régional (RTCR) de la MRC de L'Assomption
- MRC Les Moulins (branded as Urbis)
- Sainte-Julie municipal public transit
Progressively, paratransit non-profit organizations were integrated into Exo:
- TARSO (June 2020)[6]
- Handi-Bus (October 2020)[7]
- Soleil Transport (May 2021)[8]
- Transport Accès (February 2022)[9]
Exo piloted an on-demand bus service in McMasterville and Beloeil in June 2011. Service was expanded to Terrebonne in July 2023 and to Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Otterburn Park in July 2024.[2][10]
In March 2022, the ARTM took over the Express d'Oka bus line between Saint-Placide and Saint-Eustache.[11] It was integrated as line 744 in the Laurentides sector.[12]
In 2023, when the Réseau express métropolitain began service on the South Shore, most Exo lines that ran along the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge had to be rerouted to either Panama or Brossard stations.[13] Exo took the opportunity to redesign the bus networks in the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Richelain / Roussillon sectors.[14]
In October 2024 the Haut-Saint-Laurent sector was merged into the Sud-Ouest sector.[15]
Fares
edit- As of July 1, 2024
Exo services operate within the integrated fare structure of the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) for Greater Montreal. Exo bus sectors are exclusively in zones C and D, though some express or regional buses have destinations in zones A or B.[16]
Certain sectors may have their own particularities, such as fare-free local travel.[17]
Some municipalities served by Exo outside of the ARTM territory are charged as a Zone D fare, even if they are not on the ARTM's list.[18]
Services
editExo offers different types of bus services, depending on the service area, destinations, population density and proximity to rapid transit infrastructure.
- Scheduled bus and taxibus (French: taxi collectif, lit. 'collective taxi') services[19]
- Local bus routes: Routes operating within the Exo sector's territory. These may be served by full-size city bus, midibus, minibus or taxibus.
- Express bus routes: Typically commuter lines leading to a metropolitan terminus, REM, metro or train station. May be a city bus or a motor coach.
- Regional bus routes: More occasional service connecting an Exo sector to areas outside of its territory. Usually a city bus or motor coach.
- Taxibus by reservation: Fixed schedule and stops, but a reservation must be made at least 1 hour in advance. Depending on the sector, reservation may be by phone or web. Taxis are provided by local taxi companies.[20]
- On-demand service, branded as exo on-demand: Fixed stops over a defined territory, but no set route or schedule. Passengers use an app to schedule a pick-up and drop-off between two stops in the territory served.[21]
- Paratransit (French: transport adapté): Door-to-door transportation, by reservation. Service is available to eligible users, according to government of Quebec requirements. An admission request must be submitted. Reservations can be made by phone or online for trips within Exo territory before 4 p.m. the previous day, or 48 hours in advance for trips outside of the service area.[22]
Bus sectors and routes
edit- As of October 1, 2024
Exo bus and paratransit services are managed by subsidiary sectors, whose areas are defined by municipalities in ARTM fare zones C and D.
| Exo sector | Zone A and B destinations | Zone C municipalities | Zone D municipalities | Qty of bus routes[23] (Sept. 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan | Paratransit only: | 25 | ||
| La Presqu'Île | Montreal | Paratransit only: | 28 | |
| L'Assomption | Montreal | 15 | ||
| Laurentides | Laval | 85 | ||
| Richelain / Roussillon |
|
41 | ||
| Sainte-Julie | Longueuil | Sainte-Julie | 14 | |
| Sorel-Varennes and Marguerite-D'Youville |
|
Paratransit only (via Marguerite-D'Youville sector): | Paratransit only (via Marguerite-D'Youville sector): | 14 |
| Sud-Ouest | Montreal | Salaberry-de-Valleyfield | 26 | |
| Terrebonne-Mascouche | 49 | |||
| Vallée du Richelieu | Paratransit only: | 15 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "L'objectif de la mobilité intégrée" [The Objective of Integrated Mobility] (in French). La Presse. 2017-05-15. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ a b c d "Rapport annuel 2023" [2023 Annual Report] (PDF). Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ "Bus". Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ^ "C-60.1 - Act respecting intermunicipal boards of transport in the area of Montréal". Gouvernement du Québec. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
- ^ "Statut, mandats et territoire" (in French). Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Transport adapté : exo intégrera les opérations de TARSO dès le 27 juin 2020" (in French). Exo. June 22, 2020. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Transport adapté: exo intégrera les opérations de l'organisme Handi-Bus" (in French). Exo. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Transport adapté : exo intégrera les opérations de l'organisme Transport Soleil" (in French). Exo. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Transport adapté : exo intégrera les opérations de l'organisme Transport Accès" (in French). Exo. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Exo à la demande débarque aussi à Mont-Saint-Hilaire et Otterburn Park" [Exo on demand lands also in Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Otterburn Park] (in French). L'Oeil régional. 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
- ^ "À compter du 1er avril, l'Express d'Oka devient la ligne 744 d'EXO : on répond à toutes vos questions !" [As of April 1st, the Express d'Oka becomes EXO line 744] (in French). Municipalité de Saint-Placide. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Ligne 744 - Express d'Oka" (in French). Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Le REM ouvert au public le 31 juillet" (in French). La Presse. 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Votre nouveau réseau d'autobus" [Your new bus network] (in French). Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ a b "Secteurs Sud-Ouest et Haut-Saint-Laurent d'exo - NOUVELLES ÉTAPES FRANCHIES VERS UN RÉSEAU REPENSÉ" [Sud-Ouest and Haut-Saint-Laurent exo sectors - NEW STEPS TAKEN TOWARD A REDESIGNED NETWORK] (Press release) (in French). Montreal: Exo. Groupe CNW. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Find your fare". Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ^ "Transit fares". Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ a b "Exo zone tarifaire FR V3" (PDF) (in French). Exo.
- ^ "Refonte du réseau autobus : Secteur Richelain / Roussillon" (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Taxibus". Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "exo on demand". Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Transport adapté" (in French). Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ Includes all bus, taxibus, taxibus by reservation and on-demand transit services. "Bus schedules". Exo. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
External links
edit- (in French) Réseau de transport métropolitain buses[permanent dead link]
- (in English) Réseau de transport métropolitain buses (EN)