From its inception in 2001, it held a franchise as the sole French-language free daily newspaper to be distributed inside the Montreal Metro system and STM bus terminals[3][1] In 2010, Journal Metro lost its franchise as the provider of the sole French-language free daily newspaper across the Montreal transit system to Québecor Média's 24 Heures (24 Hours; originally founded as Metropolitain).

[1] In January 2016, the Réseau de transport métropolitain concluded a five-year agreement with TC Transcontinental making Métro the only free newspaper to be distributed within the Montreal Metro system.

[6][7] While considered a daily newspaper, the weekend edition often covers the days Friday to Monday inclusive, especially during the summer months.

In 2020, amid the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Métro laid off 40% of its employees and reduced its print edition to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

[10] On 11 August 2023, general manager Andrew Mulé announced that Métro would suspend all activities effective immediately, citing in particular that Transcontinental's replacement of the Publisac flyer bundle with a smaller booklet (due to a Montreal bylaw prohibiting the door-to-door delivery of flyers in plastic bags) and a lack of support from investors was detrimental to its finances.