Halifax Transit service cuts continue indefinitely

Discounts on Halifax Transit service introduced in February will now continue indefinitely, thanks to ongoing staff shortages.

The service reductions were expected to end in late summer, but the council said in a press release on Tuesday that they would remain in effect until further notice.

The press release said progress is being made in recruiting and hiring, but there were still 42 vacancies for conventional bus operators at the end of March, with 598 of the 640 vacancies.

“Based on headcount, efforts to increase service capacity will be re-evaluated in the coming months as we aim to return to full service,” the press release said.

The February 27 service reductions include the suspension of three routes and schedule adjustments on several others. They followed earlier cuts last August And two rounds of discounts last July.

Ferry and Access-A-Bus services were not affected by the service reductions and are continuing as planned.

More changes are coming

Two more bus schedules will be changed in the coming months “as part of ongoing adjustments for the quality and reliability of service,” the press release said.

Those changes will affect routes 7B and 22 from August 28. No further information has been released about the changes.