That’s it! The new bus network for the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Le Richelain-Roussillon sectors is now effective. All our bus lines have been enriched, renumbered and our schedules and routes adjusted. Choose your sector to learn about changes and to make sure your fare is valid.
Now that REM is into service
Click on the name of your municipality to see your new routes.
The goal of the network reconfiguration is to analyze bus services on the entire exo territory in order to make them more efficient, by optimizing schedules, frequencies and bus routes. Strengths and weaknesses of the network are examined in the light of present and future needs of the public. The various services are then modified according to this input to offer the sector in question more adequate service.
Exo was created in 2017 in order to improve the coherence between bus services on the North and South shores of Montreal. Until then, 14 different transit organizations had been providing bus service around Montreal. We wish to take advantage of the regrouping of all these services under the exo banner to optimize service and answer the public’s needs more adequately. This reconfiguration, which proceeds progressively sector by sector, will allow us to:
improve commuting between municipalities on both shore
offer better connectivity within the exo network and with the other public transit networks in the Greater Montreal
provide more transit options toward important poles and locations
offer an efficient and userfriendly alternative to single-occupant car commuting
harmonize our services
In fall 2019 and winter 2020, exo invited partners, officials, local organizations and citizens to voice their needs and worries concerning the reconfiguration of its bus network in the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Le Richelain-Roussillon sectors. The collected information allowed us to work out the main orientations that were to guide exo in the implementation of new service scenarios. These were then subjected to a second round of public consultations in fall 2020.
The reconfiguration of the bus networks is undertaken progressively, sector by sector. It started in 2019 with the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Le Richelain-Roussillon sectors. The consultation phase for these sectors ended in winter 2020 and the new network will become operational when REM service starts, in spring 2023.
Present and future consultations
Ongoing: La Presqu’Île and Laurentides–Terrebonne-Ouest sectors.
In 2023: Haut-Saint-Laurent, Sud-Ouest, L’Assomption and Terrebonne-Mascouche sectors.
In 2024: Sainte-Julie, Sorel-Varennes and Vallée-du-Richelieu sectors.
In the end, all sectors on the exo territory will have been overhauled.
The aim of the bus network reconfiguration is to answer user needs more adequately. There are many advantages: harmonization of services, improvement of local service, friendlier mobility experience for the user and improved interconnectivity within the exo network as well as with the other public transit networks of the Greater Montreal.
Yes. The new bus network offers greater flexibility in trip planning thanks to increased off-peak and weekend frequency.
We revise and upgrade these facilities constantly, depending on the needs and the financing we get. And we will continue to do so. And yes, the configuration of some bus terminals will be modified to fit in better with the needs of the new network.
Yes, exo will keep its free park-and-ride lots just as they are presently.
Yes, there will be parking lots at the REM’s Brossard and Panama stations.
As is the case in the rest of the exo network, printed schedules will be available upon request, either in one of our sales and service outlets, or by calling us at 1 833 allo-exo (1 833 255-6396).
To determine the bus type needed, our teams monitor ridership in order to offer the best match. Various formats, minibus, midibus, city bus or coach, can be deployed according to the type of circuit
The operating costs of the new network haven’t changed since the same resources have been simply configured differently in these sectors. Since exo buses are no longer allowed to use the Samuel-De Champlain bridge when the REM comes into service, we have been able to improve local service and create new lines connecting to the REM within the funding framework granted by the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM). The ARTM is the organization responsible for public transit funding on the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) territory.
Exo would like to see more reserved lanes created as these would allow us to offer faster services. However, the creation of such lanes implies several partners, such as municipalities and the ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable du Québec (MTMD), depending on where they are located. We collaborate actively with these partners so that the creation of reserved lanes can be prioritized, since they help make public transit more efficient and attractive.
Yes, some taxibus lines have been abolished and replaced with bus lines, while others have been added or remain active. Visit the page dedicated to your sector to discover these new lines.
Starting July 30 at 6 p.m., you may begin to reserve taxibus service on the new network.
Reservations may be completed online or by phone at 514-273-2704.
We had to prioritize these sectors in time for the launching of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) on the South shore. As of spring 2023, the South shore antenna of the REM will be connecting Montreal’s Central Station with the three stations on the South shore. From then on, the buses that were using the Samuel-De Champlain bridge will take users to one of the REM’s three terminals instead, from where they will be able to reach downtown Montreal or transfer to another South shore destination.
On October 21, 2022, it was announced that the implementation date for the South shore antenna of the REM, previously set for December 2022, was postponed to spring 2023. The exact date will be known approximately 1 month before. At that time, a communications campaign and various activities will be deployed to assist our customers during these changes.
The users will benefit from better connections on the South shore, thanks to simpler communication with other exo sectors as well as with RTL services, and more citizens will be at a walking distance from a bus stop. The new bus network is also perfectly in phase with the REM. Finally, service for businesses and industrial poles has been enhanced, both in peak and off-peak periods. The goal of these changes is to improve bus service in order to answer the public’s needs more adequately.
As soon as the REM comes into service on the South shore, our buses won’t be allowed to use the Samuel-De Champlain bridge anymore. To go to Montreal, you will be able to use our bus services to reach a REM pole, which will in turn take you to Montreal. However, some bus lines will still be serving important poles in Longueuil (the metro, among others) and Montreal via the Honoré-Mercier bridge. On the upside, this situation has allowed exo to invest in the creation of local lines and between South shore municipalities.
The bus lines linking the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Le Richelain-Roussillon sectors to downtown Montreal via the Samuel-De Champlain bridge have been modified to serve the REM South shore terminals directly when these come into service. Also, local services have been configured to avoid transfers as much as possible when travelling to the REM.
Thirty days before the REM comes into service, two ways to see your schedules will be made available:
1- The exo trip planning tool. It will allow you to evaluate your new route and see the numbers and schedules of your future buses.
2- The CHRONO app. Please note that only iPhone users will be able to see the schedules 30 days before launching. However, the schedules will be available on both iPhone and Android on D day. Warning! If you are a CHRONO user, the favorites you created in the app could disappear and need to be reprogrammed.
Yes! The new bus network provides better service between municipalities. We foresee a better synergy with the services of the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) to facilitate interregional trips. The new REM terminals will be choice locations for connecting the two networks.
Here is a preliminary estimation of the time needed to reach the REM terminals*:
Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan travel times
From
Brossard terminal
Chambly Terminal
± 15 min
Faubourg Carignan
± 30 min
Richelieu CLSC
± 20 min
Le Richelain-Roussillon travel times
Terminals
Panama terminal
Brossard terminal
La Prairie
± 15 min
-
Montcalm-Candiac
± 20 min
-
Georges-Gagné
± 35 min
± 15 min
To learn the REM travel times, click on the name of the terminal:
*This is a preliminary estimation based on presently known information about foreseen traffic conditions. These estimations reflect prepandemic morning rush hour conditions.
The last departures from the Brossard terminal will be at 1:10 a.m. on weekdays and 1:03 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
The trip calculators (Chrono, Transit, Google) will be available approximately 1 month before the new network comes into service.
Many stops will stay as they are, but others will be added and some will be removed. Temporary stop covers will be installed with the existing signage. They will be removed on the day before the new network comes into service.
Our buses serve some 60 municipalities on the North and South shores of Montreal. Most of them are located on Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) territory, while a certain number lay outside this territory, like Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, which has its own bus network.
Exo does not have the power to alter its service territory. This prerogative belongs to the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), which is responsible for the planning, financing and rate setting of public transit on CMM territory.
This being said, exo’s new network will continue to serve both the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu cegep and hospital.
The new 486 bus line serving Richelieu and Marieville will connect to the REM’s Brossard station. As you may know, in accordance with the agreement reached between the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec Infra (CDPQi), when the REM comes into service, exo and RTL buses will no longer be allowed to use the Samuel-De Champlain bridge.
Yes, two bus lines will connect to the Candiac station: the routes of the existing T36 and T37 taxi lines have been slightly modified and will be served by minibuses (lines 146 and 147). We have also provided a new line, available on reservation, which connects to Candiac station for the municipality of Saint-Philippe (line 135).
As soon as the REM’s South shore antenna comes into service, RTL and exo buses will be carrying users to one of its three terminals instead of crossing the Samuel-De Champlain bridge to Montreal.
Since the present fares of these organizations as well as the new “Bus” and “Off Territory Bus” allow only bus rides, and in order to avoid a steep rate increase by forcing users to purchase the “All Modes” fare that will be needed in the future, some new fares have been introduced in July 2022:
The “Transit RTL/REM” fare gives access to the REM’s South shore antenna and to all RTL bus services.
The “CRC-SJU-VR-REM” fare gives access to the REM’s South shore antenna and to all bus services in and between zones A, B and C of the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan, Sainte-Julie and Vallée-du-Richelieu sectors.
The “LR-ROUS-REM” fare gives access to the REM’s South shore antenna and to bus services in and between zones A, B and C of the Le Richelain-Roussillon sector.
The “VR Saint-Hyacinthe-REM” fare gives access to the REM’s South shore antenna and to bus services in and between zones A, B, C and D of the Vallée-du-Richelieu sector.
The “CRC Marieville-REM” gives access to the REM’s South shore antenna and to bus services in and between zones A, B, C and D of the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan sector.
Starting in July 2023, rates for these new fares will increase gradually each year until they reach the “All Modes” target rate.
Yes, rates will increase with phase 3 of the fare reform. To learn more about rate increases, see the fee schedules.
Yes, fares for the Roussillion sector will cease to be valid with phase 3 of the fare reform. Users must see to it that they carry valid fare. Fare holders will be able to claim new fares in accordance with the ARTM’s Politique d’échanges et de remboursements des titres de transport de l'ARTM
In accordance with the Politique d’échanges et de remboursements des titres de transport, single- and multi-trip fares absent from the July 1, 2022 fare list can be used for the same public transit services they were bought for. Therefore, you can still use them for your trips. No refund will be given for a request that does not respect the rules established in the Politique.
1 833 allo exo (255-6396)
