OPUS: High-Performance Automated Fare Collection for Quebec's Public Transport

In 2008, the Societe de Transport de Montreal (STM), in partnership with seven other Quebec transport organization authorities, launched a new smart card-based fare collection system called OPUS. This article describes the development of the system and highlights how it has modernized public transit in Quebec. The goals of the automatic ticketing system were to improve performance through control of expenses and diversification of revenues; to improve customer satisfaction; and to increase ridership. The project involved the introduction of new ticket media and the replacement of fare collection equipment in metro stations, suburban railway stations and on buses. Since the beginning of the deployment, more than 3.5 million OPUS cards have been distributed. Over one million OPUS card validations are made in Montreal each day, and customer satisfaction with the system has reached 90%. The OPUS card has increased the modal share of public transportation by making it easier to meet customers’ varied fare needs, such as combining different transportation tickets on a single card. The deployment process also has had the benefit of increasing synergy and cooperation among the partnering authorities.