The Halifax Regional Municipality has announced that its transit service will significantly reduce capacity over the Easter long weekend as it continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The changes will affect Halifax Transit’s ferry and bus service and residents are being asked to only use the service for essential travel.
Those who feel sick should not use any transit until their health returns to normal.
Halifax Transit says that capacity on its ferry service will be reduced to 25 passengers per trip in order to promote physical distancing.
Food and drink will also be prohibited in an effort to reduce litter.
The municipality’s buses will have alternating seats blocked off with appropriate signage.
The measures will reduce capacity on each bus by approximately 50 per cent.
Additional signage will be used to indicate which seats are reserved for those with mobility needs.
Passengers will continue to use the rear doors unless the front doors are required for accessibility.
Seating at Halifax Transit terminals will also be restricted with alternating seats blocked off with signage.
Along with those measures, Halifax Transit will continue to implement a series of measures it has previously announced, including increased frequency of wiping down high-touch surfaces, reducing passengers on buses to seated passengers and the elimination of fares.