Canada
Montreal
UMR Index Rank
#22
(+5)
Score: 58%
Sustainable Mobility
#21
(+3)
Score: 58.9%
Public Transit
#25
(+11)
Score: 55.9%
Technology Adoption
#20
Score: 50.2%
| Population | 4.0 million |
| Surface area (km2) | 1,383 |
| Population-density (people/km2) | 2,925 |
| GDP per capita ($) | 36,449 |
UMR Index Rank
#22
(+5)
Score: 58%
Sustainable Mobility
#21
(+3)
Score: 58.9%
Public Transit
#25
(+11)
Score: 55.9%
Technology Adoption
#20
Score: 50.2%
What Montreal Does Well In Urban Mobility
Montreal is Canada’s top-performing city on the index, ahead of Vancouver and Toronto, with a strong multimodal public transit system known for its affordable fares. The city is building five new metro stations and two bus terminals expected to be completed by 2030. In 2024 the mayor unveiled plans to extend the existing public transport system from 80 kilometers to 360 kilometers by 2050. The city also is improving its cycling infrastructure, with the aim of growing the cycle network by 20% between 2023 and 2027, to more than 1,200 kilometers of bike lanes. Montreal invested approximately CA$30 million ($22 million) into various cycle infrastructure projects in 2024 alone, including the installation of safety buffer zones and cyclist traffic lights.
Montreal’s roadways are world-class, with a commitment to safety, maintenance, and efficient traffic management. The province of Quebec’s 2028 safety plan aims to reduce speed limits to 30 kilometers per hour in school zones. The city already has several so-called shared streets where the speed limit is 20 kilometers per hour.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Sustainable Mobility, Public Transit, and Technology Adoption scores
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
Challenges And Opportunities For Montreal’s Transportation System
Montreal has relatively few zero-emission buses, but plans to electrify its fleet by 2040 as part of the city decarbonization strategy. The public transport authority, Société de transport de Montréal, aims to double its electric fleet to 90 buses in 2025 and then add 140 electric buses each year from 2026 onwards. If implemented, these changes can have a significant impact on the city’s sustainable mobility performance.
Compared with top-performing cities, Montreal does not excel at active mobility, facing challenges such as a harsh winter climate and a lack of dedicated infrastructure, especially for walkers. In 2024 the city revealed its 2050 Land and Mobility Plan, which includes strategies to improve the sharing of public space with a focus on pedestrians and cyclists. There is also plan for transforming a 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile) expressway by the Montreal waterfront into a car-free zone with cycle lanes, walkways, and new trees and green space. Work is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Dimensions of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index score
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley
How Montreal Can Improve Its Urban Mobility Performance
Montreal residents rely heavily on personal cars to get around: The city’s per capita car ownership is 2.5 times greater than that of its regional peer New York. The city has taken some steps to limit car usage, including seasonal car-free streets. It can expand these initiatives even further, with year-round closures and limits on parking. Promoting alternative modes of transportation can help the city reduce car dependency. Existing plans to expand metro and bus lines and improve cycling infrastructure are a step in the right direction. Accelerating investments such as providing more buses and adding stops would be a cost-effective way to improve the public transport offering.
Despite a growing number of electric vehicles (EV) being sold in Montreal year-on-year, the city lags behind top performers such as San Francisco on the density of its charging network. Montreal already provides a subsidy of 50% of the cost of installing a charger. To accelerate charging installation and reach top city performance, Montreal can expand this initiative or consider other incentives, such as tax rebates.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index relative ranking evolution (2020-2024)
Source: Oliver Wyman Forum and University of California, Berkeley