Halifax Transit’s aging MetroX rural express buses are going to see a replacement this year.
Nine new buses will be bought using a $2-million grant from the Department of Municipal Affairs’ Public Transit Assistance Program. The funding was announced Wednesday at the Halifax ferry terminal.
The grant will fund a portion of the total purchase of the nine buses, with the remaining funds coming from municipal and federal funding, Halifax spokesperson Tiffany Chase said. A total breakdown of the funding could not be provided.
The new 40-foot accessible low-floor buses will replace the older coach-style buses being used on rural express routes. Halifax Transit currently offers three routes through MetroX, which transports passengers to and from downtown areas of Halifax. The bus routes serve the Tantallon and Sheldrake Lake area, the Halifax Stanfield International Airport and Fall River area, and the Porters Lake area.
Chase said replacing the buses with Transit’s low-floor buses will help the municipality provide more seating and accessibility to riders.
“The reason for that is not only because they’re older and less efficient but some of them are what we call coach-sell buses that have stairs,” said Chase in an interview. “They’re accessible through the back door for mobility devices, but certainly not as accessible as our low-floor buses are.”
The buses will also have Halifax Transit branding, instead of MetroX, which will allow the newer buses to also be used on other routes in the transit system.
“A modern public transit service is important infrastructure for a sustainable urban community,” said Premier Stephen McNeil in a release.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said in the release the buses will help improve the municipality’s transit services by providing “more reliable service delivery, reduced maintenance costs,” and allow the buses to be deployed to more routes.
“Providing a reliable, cost-effective transit system is one of council’s top priorities,” said Savage.
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