Commuters in the Deux-Montagnes area who rely on backup shuttle buses for the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) will soon see significant service reductions. The regional transit agency Exo has announced it will curtail several special shuttle routes, aligning with the now-established presence of the REM light-rail system on the North Shore.
Specific Schedule Changes Effective February 2
In a notice to its clients, Exo outlined the precise modifications taking effect on Monday, February 2. The changes mark a shift from redundant parallel service to a focus on late-night coverage when the REM is not operating.
The adjustments are as follows:
- Buses 404 and 498, which connect Deux-Montagnes to Central Station, will now operate only after 9 p.m., once the REM has stopped running between the Deux-Montagnes and Côte-de-Liesse stations. This nightly closure allows for testing on the upcoming REM branch to Anse-à-l'Orme.
- Bus 904, which linked the Deux-Montagnes and Grand-Moulin stations, will be discontinued entirely.
- Taxibus T904 will continue but with a reduced schedule and fewer stops. It will run every half-hour after 10 p.m., with its sole additional stop at the corner of 20th Avenue and Oka Road (towards Grand-Moulin only).
Increased Service on One Route
Not all changes involve cuts. Exo will provide some compensation by boosting service on another key route.
Bus 499, which runs between Deux-Montagnes and the Côte-Vertu métro station, will see a substantial increase in departures. Service will jump from 59 to 98 trips per day. While frequency during peak rush hours will shift from every 10 to every 15 minutes, off-peak service will improve significantly from hourly to every 30 minutes. The last departures will be at 12:50 a.m. from Deux-Montagnes and 1:29 a.m. from Côte-Vertu.
A Phased End to Redundant Services
This move by Exo follows a similar pattern seen with other transit authorities as the REM network solidifies its operations. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) ceased running parallel shuttles on the South Shore branch during REM operating hours last May, shortly after that line opened.
Similarly, Laval's transit authority ended its REM shuttle services on January 3, though it converted the 713 bus linking Ste-Dorothée station to Côte-Vertu into a regular line. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) continues to operate its 812 and 968 shuttle buses for now.
The ARTM had previously stated that shuttle buses were maintained in the initial weeks after the REM's launch to "assure the continuity of service for customers during the first weeks of the new network’s operation." The Deux-Montagnes branch of the REM opened on November 17, and with the system now deemed reliable, the phase-out of duplicate bus services is proceeding.
These schedule modifications reflect the ongoing integration of the REM into Montreal's broader public transit ecosystem, moving from a transitional period with backup options to a permanent network where bus services are designed to complement, rather than duplicate, the new light-rail system.
