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Some public transit tickets since 1886

The STM is the seventh generation of public transit in Montreal since its birth in 1861. Several companies were involved at the turn of the last century, including the Montreal Street Railway, the Montreal Terminal Railway, and the Montreal Park & Island Railway. They were merged into a single organization, the Montreal Tramways Company, in 1911.

During more than a century of evolution, over a thousand kinds of tickets were issued at different times and situation, over the whole territory of Montreal and its suburbs. We have put together this sampling to give a brief overview of the many faces of transit during this period. Several of the pieces presented here are from the personal collection of Mr. Jacques Pharand, historian and author of several articles and monographs on the history of transit in Montreal.

Sample of tickets used in Montreal

ticket - 1886 1886
First ticket issued by the Montreal Street Railway and the only one designed and printed by the Bank of Canada, which explains its resemblance to a postage stamp.
ticket - 1897 1897
Ticket with an advertisement on the back, reflecting the usual practice of the time.
ticket - 1907 1907
Ticket for a round trip to Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, valid Saturdays and Sundays during the months dedicated to the deceased. Issued by the Montreal Park and Island Railway.
ticket - 1908 1908
First tickets sold in strips of 5 at a discount. Issued by the Montreal Park and Island Railway.
ticket - 1911 1918
First ticket incorporating a distinctive coloured watermark. The diagonal design on the ticket would remain a Montreal trademark for more than fifty years.
ticket - 1923 1923
Suburban ticket with denomination printed by masking; last use of this method, used only between 1919 and 1923.
ticket - 1925 1925
Contractual tickets issued to police forces for the use of plainclothes officers. Used from 1919 to 1977.
ticket - 1931 1931
Stub ticket issued by virtue of a contract to serve a suburban municipality. The stub gave access to a single vehicle in the Montreal network.
ticket - 1932 1932
Regular ticket whose plate remained unchanged (except for the year) for a record 17 years, due to the economic crisis of 1929.
ticket - 1936 1936
Smallest denomination ever issued by the network: ½¢, for the use of schoolchildren using the shortest suburban line (0,7 km).
ticket - 1937 1937
Example of a special ticket (complimentary, retired) of a particularly graceful design used by several transit companies between 1900 and 1960.
ticket - 1940 1940
Ticket used to pay the difference between a regular and a deluxe bus. Used together with a valid transfer.
 ticket - 1940 1940
Ticket introducing the "horseshoe" logo which will be used on most tickets until 1966
ticket - 1945 1945
Ticket for passage between Montreal and St. Helen’s Island, the only one issued in roll form, like those used in the movie theatres of the day.
ticket - 1948 1948
Strip of tickets of different denominations, allowing passage through three different fare zones on one trip.
ticket - 1961 1961
Commemorative ticket for the centennial of public transit in Montreal. The back was a reproduction of the tickets used in 1892, the dawn of electric tramways in the city.
ticket - 1966 1966
First metro ticket, introducing the standard size still used today. The reverse includes a magnetic strip read by the metro’s automatic turnstiles.
ticket - 1972 1972
Ticket for subsidized contractual school transit carried out by the CTCUM’s vehicles, after the integration of Montreal suburbs far from educational institutions.
ticket - 1984 1984
Receipt issued for the payment of a fare, preventing the accumulation of cash in the metro’s fareboxes.
ticket - 1992 1992
Complimentary metro tickets issued during promotions for unique events.
ticket - 1993 1993
Paper tickets: two of these coupons were published in publicity flyers announcing new routes inaugurated by the Société and allowing users to try them for free.

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