Payment by credit card on board buses in Laval: “It’s definitely more practical”

Société de Transport de Laval (STL) now allows its customers to pay on board for their transit fares via an Interac debit card. How will public transport users react to the innovation?

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• Also Read: Public transport: Users can now pay via Interac on all Laval buses

Payment by credit card on board has been possible since 2017, thanks to a pilot project launched by the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM).

In 2022, nearly 337,000 trips on STL buses were paid for by credit card, a sign of the initiative’s popularity.

TVA Meets Nouvelles at Montmorency Terminus Customers are happy to see Société de Transport de Laval (STL) develop new payment methods.

“It’s definitely more practical. For me personally, I have an OPUS card, so I don’t use the time, but I know there are a lot of people who find it very practical, so it’s good news,” said a woman.

“It’s great because sometimes we don’t have money, and we can’t take the bus,” explained another user.

While Laval residents are fortunate to have the technology available, public transit users in Montreal are impatiently awaiting on-board payment via credit card.

ARTM plans to expand its pilot project from 2025 to include buses from RTL and Exo, rather than from Société de Transport de Montréal.

“A project was started with four operators. Obviously, the goal is to ensure that we have a refreshed experience for the user, so we must update 7000 validation points. We need to update the central system. At the same time we really want the person traveling by train, bus or metro to have fluidity,” explains Sylvain Perras, Executive Director of Information Technology at ARTM.

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