All three Halifax Transit ferry terminals are set to get a security upgrade in the coming months as the municipality’s transit service prepares to switch to a new fare system that takes dollar-bill sized tickets.
The details, contained in a tender posted to Nova Scotia’s tender website on Friday, indicate that the city’s three ferry terminals, Alderney, Woodside, and the Halifax Ferry Terminal, will undergo upgrades between March and June.
But don’t be worried about your daily commute as the terminals will not be closed. The tender stresses that “transit services and public access will be maintained throughout the entire project.”
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Halifax Transit will set up temporary fare kiosks at the Alderney and Halifax terminals in order to accommodate construction while the Woodside terminal’s upgrades will be carried out over the weekend when it is closed to the public.
The tenders also seem to hint at the planned rollout of the new tickets with both the Alderney and Woodside terminals facing an “expedited” timeline in order to “facilitate the new fare management system implementation schedule.”
The upgrades for the two terminals are scheduled to be completed by May 3, 2019.
The upgrades to the Halifax Ferry Terminal are set to be completed by June 21, 2019, and require the removal of the existing kiosk, security railings, and gates in order for new ones to be installed.
The new fare system — which includes the adoption of larger tickets — is part of an effort to modernize the municipality’s transit fare system.
In 2017, Halifax Regional Council awarded a contract to Trepeze Software ULC, with the goal of installing new fareboxes on city transit.
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The new fareboxes will reportedly be capable of informing drivers about whether a passenger has paid their full fare as well as print out transfers, something which is currently done by hand. The new boxes may eventually allow passengers to pay their fare by pre-loaded smart card, smartphone or credit card.
Halifax says they’re taking a “phased approach” in modernizing transit and that the redesigned tickets are one of the first steps.
The tickets will continue to be available at the same price, a pack of 10 for $20.
Construction on the upgrades at the ferry terminals is slated to begin on March 11, 2019.
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