A new exo bus network on the southern ring
Exo bus users.
Public transit users in the South Shore can now benefit from a new exo bus network in the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Le Richelain-Roussillon sectors. In addition to improving local and intermunicipal trips, this new network will offer direct routes to the REM, as soon as it is put into service.
According to exo figures, more than 100,000 residents will be connected to the REM in less than 30 minutes thanks to its 66 completely redesigned and renumbered bus lines, as well as its 25 direct lines to the REM . In all, 1100 stops have been modified, including the installation of 230 new stops.
About 20,000 additional residents will have access to the service both during rush hour and outside of rush hour, just an 8-minute walk from their home, exo said in a press release published Tuesday afternoon.
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“Exo seized the opportunity of the arrival of the REM to adapt its service to the new mobility needs of the population, particularly in terms of local travel,” says the executive director – Commitment to customers, partners and Innovation in mobility of exo, Marie Hélène Cloutier.
She believes that this overhaul of the network will attract new customers “who will now have good reasons to leave the car at home to favor public transit”.
Enhanced local service
Indeed, the bus network has been completely redesigned to meet the new travel needs of customers in the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan and Le Richelain-Roussillon sectors. These affect the municipalities of Carignan, Chambly, Marieville, Richelieu, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, as well as Candiac, Delson, La Prairie, Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Constant, Saint-Mathieu and Saint-Philippe.
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In addition, the new bus network will offer extended service hours and greater frequency during off-peak periods and on weekends. Shopping malls, health service centers and industrial districts will also be better served by the bus network, exo points out.
REM connections
In addition, the buses that used the Samuel-De Champlain bridge will now transport customers to one of the REM stations in Brossard. From there, users can go to downtown Montreal or transfer to other destinations on the South Shore.
The Brossard and Panama terminals therefore become places of connections with the buses of the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL) and to other sectors of exo, thus improving mobility on the southern crown by avoiding detours via the island of Montreal.
This redesign is the result of four years of work and consultations with the population. An information campaign will be launched 30 days before the REM goes into service and information agents will be present at the terminals to inform users and answer all their questions.
