The federal, provincial and municipal governments have announced that 21 new Halifax Transit buses will be purchased to replace older ones.
Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi appeared in Halifax Sunday to announce that the Halifax Regional Municipality plans to allocate $6 million from the federal Gas Tax Fund to purchase the 40-foot buses.
The money will come from motorists across the country.
“The federal Gas Tax Fund provides predictable, sustainable funding for municipalities to build the necessary critical infrastructure, so today we are making a commitment to support Halifax," said Minister Sohi.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says the 21 new buses will help the transit system become more reliable and effective.
"We're looking at other things to make transit more accessible for people with disabilities and council's going to be looking at that in the weeks to come," said Savage.
The mayor says once the new buses arrive there will only be about two buses left in the fleet that won't have a low floor.
"The key really for us is to make sure that our public transit system is as reliable as it possibly can be,” said Savage “We can make improvements that way so that people know when they come out where their bus is going to be."
Halifax Transit users say it's important for the city to have busses that are accessible for everyone.
"Well it's easier to get around," said transit user Christine McBride. "It's very important for everybody."
"If they make it more accessible then it's better for everyone, in general," said transit user Katie McBride.
The municipality purchased nine new buses last year, using $3.5 million of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation.
There is no word on when the new buses will be on the road.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau.
