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The ARTM and its partners are launching a market test to assess the reliability and robustness of a new feature on the Chrono app.
Soon, it’ll be possible to buy virtual fares and validate them using an Android smartphone.
As part of the Concerto Project, the ARTM and all public transit players are joining forces to develop digital solutions that will make transit fare purchase smoother for users.
After reloading OPUS cards, the ability to purchase and validate virtual fares using a smartphone is the next important step towards a smooth and streamlined public transit experience.
The beta version of the Virtual fares purchase Chrono feature will be tested from July to October. Its purpose is to assess the robustness and reliability of the feature before its official launch.
Around 3,000 people will be recruited at different stages. If you participate at a given stage, you can continue through the next one.
Participants will have to purchase and validate fares as well as travel using their phones.
They will share their experience with us at different stages.
This will help us make sure the feature is optimized ahead of its market launch.
To thank you for your valued collaboration, for each phase in which you participate, you will have a chance to win a prize. You must complete the required activities and fill out at least two questionnaires at the end of the test phase to be eligible for the contest.
You have one chance in ten of winning one of the following prizes: $20 (in gift cards) as well as $100 and $1,000 cash prizes. The winners will be notified at the end of each test phase. Read the contest rules here and the list of winners from previous tests here (content in French only).
Keep an eye on your phone’s inbox. You will receive a text message from our research team after you have signed up online.
Send us text messages to share your feedback and help us improve our product.
Need help? Write to customer service by filing a support ticket in the Chrono app.
Only if you’re having trouble downloading the Chrono beta app, call 514 280‑5895.
Thank you for participating in this vital step for the project.
By participating in this test, you are contributing to a new virtual fare purchase and validation solution, making public transit more accessible.
Ready? Let’s go!
If you have any questions about this test, feel free to consult the FAQ below.
Make sure the email address you provided when you signed up for the market test matches the one connected to the Play Store.
If it does, consult the user guide and follow each installation step for Android devices.
If the problem persists, or if you provided the wrong email address when you signed up, please contact technical support at 514 280‑5895.
No. The app was designed specifically for smartphones. It can’t be used on a tablet.
No. The beta version is only available for Android phones. It will be available later for iOS phones.
No. The test is only available for people who were recruited beforehand.
It’s a new feature that will gradually be rolled out to Chrono app users, enabling them to purchase and validate their transit fares with a smartphone, without needing a physical OPUS card.
To use it, you will need:
No. As part of the test, fares must be purchased with your phone, through your customer account. Because your phone is also used for fare validation, you can’t purchase fares for you and another person.
No. Your cards aren’t synced, as they are two different kinds of fare media. Their fare content is mutually exclusive.
There are three main reasons for this:
Sadly, you can’t use the Chrono app to purchase or validate virtual transit fares with this device. Please use the app on a more recent model of smartphone that supports NFC technology.
To purchase a virtual fare, you must first access the app’s “Purchase fares” section, and select “Virtual fares.” You can access it through the app’s main menu, or by tapping the card button in the upper left corner of the home screen.
From the “Virtual fares” tab, you can purchase fares as follows:
At the end, you’ll get a review of your order. Select “Confirm my order” to proceed with payment.
The zones are described on the “Choose your travel zones” screen. Zone A covers the agglomeration of Montréal, Zone B covers Laval and the agglomeration of Longueuil, Zone C covers the northern and southern suburbs and Zone D includes municipalities outside of ARTM territory, that are served by exo.
To find out what Zone a given city is in, tap “Need help?” and open ARTM’s fare selector at https://www.artm.quebec/en/fare-selector/.
Reduced fares aren’t available as virtual fares for now. Further development is upcoming, enabling validating someone’s eligibility for reduced fare. You can use the OPUS recharge feature to purchase reduced fares and load them onto a photo OPUS card.
Most regular fare are available. Special REM bus fares, monthly passes, and reduced fare are not yet available as virtual fares. You can purchase them using the OPUS reload feature.
Yes, you will receive a receipt via the email entered in the payment section or the one connected to your Google Pay account.
If you haven’t received it by the next business day, please check your spam folder. If you don’t find it there, please contact technical support via the app.
Make sure you’ve filled in all the information on the payment form for your selected payment method. Please contact your financial institution if it still isn’t working.
Because your transit fares and cards are stored on your mobile device via the Chrono app, you can’t add them to your card wallet, whether on Google Wallet or any other similar app.
As soon as the payment is made and the fare added to your virtual card, you can use your virtual fare to travel, in compliance with its terms.
If you have several different cards in your wallet, we strongly recommend that you check that the card you want to use is the one that is active in your Chrono app, to avoid any validation errors.
As is the case for physical OPUS cards, transit fares loaded onto a single virtual card follow priority. The least expensive fare for the user will be used first, following this logic:
If a security agent asks to check the validity of your virtual fare, all you have to do is put your mobile device on the agent’s verification device for processing.
No. You don’t have to launch the Chrono app to validate your transit fare. Just unlock and tap your mobile device near the validator will do the trick.
No. Validation of virtual transit fares on Android relies on HCE (Host Card Emulation) technology, which allows your phone to simulate a transit card in order to validate your fare. Unlike physical cards, this technology requires your device to be powered on and to have a minimum battery charge (at least 5%) to function properly.
Below this threshold, validation may fail. To avoid any inconvenience, we recommend ensuring your phone is sufficiently charged for the entire duration of your trip.
First, make sure you completed all the steps of your fare purchase and that your virtual card was properly activated, so that it can be checked at a validator.
Once the payment is made, don’t forget to give the Chrono app some time to add the transit fare to your virtual card. You will receive a confirmation message when it’s done.
Also note that virtual fares purchased with Chrono can’t be validated on the commuter train network for now.
This is the action of removing and archiving virtual fares (and virtual cards) from your mobile device so that they can be transferred to another device for future use. This action must be done also before deleting or reinstalling Chrono app. This protects your virtual transit fares in case of loss, theft, change, or reset of your device, or if you need to uninstall and reinstall the Chrono app to resolve a technical issue.
When you transfer your virtual fares, they are removed from your device, then archived and stored in the cloud until you retrieve them.
You will therefore no longer see them on your mobile device, and they will remain inaccessible until you retrieve them.
No, it is not possible to transfer (archive) just one virtual fare if you have several. All of your virtual fares will be transferred (archived) at the same time.
To retrieve your virtual fares, you must be logged into your Chrono account, and your mobile device must not contain any other virtual fares.
Virtual fares can be retrieved from the “Chrono Account” section of the main menu or directly from the “Virtual Fares” tab (in the “Purchase Fares” section of the app menu).
You will then need to tap “Retrieve my fares” and follow the steps on the screen.
It is not possible to retrieve virtual fares on a mobile device that already has virtual fares on.
To retrieve your virtual fares on this device, you must first transfer the ones that are already on it (you must be logged in to the account associated with these fares to perform the transfer).
Retrieval will then only be possible if you log in to the Chrono account associated with the purchase of the virtual fares you wish to retrieve.
No. All virtual cards in your wallet are created without any additional fees. You only pay for the transit fares you buy.
Depending on your travel needs, you may have several virtual cards on your device. These cards make up your card wallet.
Certain transit fares cannot be stored on the same card, as is currently the case with a physical OPUS card, due to the way the current transit fare validation system works on all equipment and rolling stock.
Cards for storing your various transit fares will be created automatically and free of charge. All you have to do is activate the one that contains the fare you want to use for your next trip.
Due to the technological limitations of the OPUS ticketing system and the current operation of the transit fare validation system across the network, it is unfortunately not possible to purchase all your transit fares on a single card.
For the time being, each virtual card is associated with one or more specific travel zones, and you can only purchase your virtual transit fare if you have the appropriate card.
No, it is not possible to obtain an empty virtual card. The creation of a virtual card is automatically linked to the purchase of a fare.
The purchase of virtual fares on the Chrono app is subject to the Fares Refund and Exchange Policy.
Certain unused virtual fares may be eligible for a self-service refund directly from the Chrono app if they meet certain conditions set out in the ARTM’s Transit Fare Refund and Exchange Policy.
To initiate and obtain a refund for one of your eligible virtual fares, you must be logged into your Chrono account.
The request can be initiated by clicking on “Request a Refund” in the “Chrono Account” section. From your virtual card wallet, press “Request a refund” on the transit fare tile covered by your request and follow the steps on the screen.
A message will confirm that the refund has been processed. The virtual fare will be unavailable in your card wallet, and you will no longer be able to use it.
Certain unused virtual transit fares may be refunded through self-service, directly from the Chrono app, if they meet certain conditions set out in the ARTM’s Transit Fare Refund and Exchange Policy.
Otherwise, you can also contact the support team by filling out the contact form available in the “Support” section, under “Contact Us” in the app’s main menu, or by calling 514-280-5895 so that your refund request can be reviewed.
Please do not (re)use your virtual transit pass until you have spoken with an agent.
We apologize for the situation and ask that you contact our support team so that we can investigate. You can do so by filling out the contact form available in the “Support” section under “Contact Us” in the app’s main menu or by calling 514-280-5895.
This technology is widely used in the banking sector and has a proven track record for security and reliability. It also has scalable security components and always offers the best possible protection.
Rest assured that the Chrono app transmits no personal information via NFC.
Yes, it’s secure. Credit card information is stored by Moneris, a trusted partner, according to the world’s most stringent e-payment security standards.
The ARTM would like to thank its financial partners—the Government of Canada and the Ville de Montréal—as well as its collaborators exo, REM, RTL, STL and STM, for their contribution to this major project aimed at simplifying travel for public transit users.
