Opus cards will soon need to be replaced

If you've had your Opus card for four years, it is time to get it replaced.

People who purchased a transit pass when they first came out will have to get a new one before April 2012.

Replacement passes are free as long as they are exchanged within three months of their expiration date.

You can check your card's expiration date at an Opus machine, a retailer who sells the cards or online. Fares remaining on the old card will be transferred to the new one.

You can purchase your new Opus card at Berri-UQAM, Honore-Beaugrand, Jean-Talon, Cote-Vertu, Lionel-Groulx and the Fairview shopping centre.

Anyone unable to visit those six service points can be reimbursed by mail. To get a refund, buy a new card and send your old one along with the receipt to the STM.

Since April 2008, the STM has issued around 3.8 million passes. Before the end of 2012, almost 200,000 people will have to replace their cards.

A new generation of Opus cards will be available this summer. They will be good for four years.

To check the expiry date of your transit pass or to find out where to send your old Opus cards, visit the STM website at www.stm.info