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]
Prior 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:
In March 2022, the ARTM took over the Express d'Oka bus line between Saint-Placide and Saint-Eustache.[12] It was integrated as line 744 in the Laurentides sector.[13]
Certain sectors may have their own particularities, such as fare-free local travel.[18]
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.[19]
Services
Exo 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[20]
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.[21]
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.[22]
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.[23]
Bus sectors and routes
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.
Map of Exo sectors
Exo sectors and municipalities served, by transit fare zone [19][16]
