Halifax Transit route changes take effect Monday

Big changes are coming to Halifax Transit‘s route schedule.

The cuts are wide-ranging and necessary, according to city spokesperson Maggie-Jane Spray.

“Halifax Transit is currently still experiencing staffing issues which are impacting routes across the region,” Spray says.

Cancellations have become common since the pandemic. Bus drivers and ferry captains either found other work or just didn’t return to the job.

Schedules are changing for 32 routes. Three others are being cancelled, each in Dartmouth and Cole Harbour.

“Certainly I have heard from some residents who, these reductions, these adjustments, are going to affect their commute to work,” says councillor Trish Purdy, who represents Cole Harbour. “It’s not ideal but I understand why transit is doing it.”

HRM’s population grew by nearly four-and-a-half per cent in 2022. Transportation professor Asham Habib doesn’t think reducing transit is a good look for a growing city.

“As the city grows, it’s also important to very effectively plan for the transportation systems, and Halifax is a historical town, we have limited entry and exit points so traffic congestion is happening,” Habib says.

With 480,000 people now calling Halifax home, Professor Habib says city transit needs to expand across the board and offer more options to commuters.

“These are the times to think big. Think about commuter rail, think about rapid transit, ferries,“ says Habib.

The first step, however, is to return to Halifax Transit's current level of service.

“From September to December last year, we hired 35 new operators. Currently, the plan is to return to regular service in the summer, and with that, the current plan is that we need at least 80 more drivers,” Spray says.

In January, the city launched training courses starting every three weeks. Each course takes seven weeks to complete and include time in a classroom, time behind the wheel and time with a mentor.