Long-delayed Halifax Transit fare app available Thursday
HALIFAX, N.S. — HFXGO, an app where Halifax Transit passengers can purchase fares, will be ready to download on Thursday.
The app is years in the making, and behind the transit technology available in other cities.
Coun. Waye Mason (Halifax South Downtown) posted on X that the app will be available for free in the App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android).
About 20 minutes after I posted my newsletter we got an update – HFXGO will be available for download on Iphone and Android tomorrow (November 2).
— Waye Mason 🇺🇦 (@WayeMason) November 1, 2023
In July 2022, Halifax regional council approved the $1.3-million tender to U.K.-based Masabi for their mobile fare app called Justride, along with an operating budget of $243,936 over five years. Justride has been used by more than 75 transit agencies globally.
Now, after negotiations, consultations and investigating best practices, it has finally arrived. It will work for fares on buses, ferries and Access-A-Buses.
A page on the municipality’s website says passengers can purchase their ticket or pass on the app, activate it and show it to the bus operator or ferry security staff before boarding.
Paper tickets are still available and people can also pay their fares by cash. Fares can also be purchased through the app’s web portal.
This rollout has faced many delays. In an update to the transportation committee a year ago, Marc Santilli, manager of technical services for Halifax Transit, told the transportation standing committee that it should be ready to go in “about two months.” He said negotiations with the vendor dragged on longer than anticipated.
