These nine Montreal bus lines will offer service every 2 to 12 minutes

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is outlining its new plan to help commuters easily identify which buses pass the most frequently on its network.

Tuesday, the STM announced that 31 bus lines will now be grouped in purple under the title "high-frequency lines."

"What our customers value most is frequent bus service, which is why we want to make these lines stand out from the rest of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chair of the STM board of directors. "As with the Metro, customers using these high-frequency lines don't need to plan their trip down to the minute. They can just turn up at the corner and know that the next bus will be there in a few minutes."

The STM notes the buses will be marked in purple to allow people to quickly locate them, both on the street and online on the website and mobile apps.

Network maps are slated to be updated in spring 2024.

New purple signs for high-frequency STM buses. (Credit: STM)

"With their high ridership and wide geographic coverage, these high-frequency lines are the backbone of our bus network, providing service where customers need it most," said Caldwell. "The new distinctive colour of these lines will make it easier for customers to find their way."

This comes almost a year after the public transit authority stated it could not guarantee a "10-minute max" due to financial strain paired with a small post-pandemic ridership.

The decision was overturned last spring after the STM received $26.5 million in funding from the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), which oversees transit in the Greater Montreal area.

A map of the high frequency bus lines in Montreal. (Credit: STM)

THE COLOUR PURPLE 

These nine lines will offer frequent service every two to 12 minutes, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday, in both directions:

• 18 Beaubien
• 24 Sherbrooke
• 51 Édouard-Montpetit
• 67 Saint-Michel
• 105 Sherbrooke
• 121 Sauvé/Côte-Vertu
• 141 Jean-Talon
• 165 Côte-des-Neiges
• 439 Express Pie-IX

These 22 lines will offer frequent service every two to 12 minutes, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, in the rush hour direction:

• 32 Lacordaire
• 33 Langelier
• 44 Armand-Bombardier
• 45 Papineau
• 48 Perras
• 49 Maurice-Duplessis
• 55 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
• 64 Grenet
• 69 Gouin
• 80 Avenue du Parc
• 90 Saint-Jacques
• 97 Avenue-du-Mont-Royal
• 103 Monkland
• 136 Viau
• 161 Van Horne
• 171 Henri-Bourassa
• 187 René-Lévesque
• 193 Jarry
• 196 Parc-Industriel-Lachine
• 197 Rosemont
• 406 Express Newman
• 470 Express Pierrefonds

The STM says it is now seeing an increased ridership on its network -- up 14 per cent compared to the same period in 2022 and reaching 78 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers.

In addition, the public transit authority says it plans to add additional departures on approximately 75 other bus lines, with as many as 30 more on some lines, to address the increasing number of workers returning to the office.

The STM bus network is comprised of 200 lines covering all 500 square kilometres of the Island of Montreal.

Its 31 high-frequency lines account for over 50 per cent of ridership.