HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Halifax Transit is preparing to unveil a sweeping $70-million revamp of its bus services, marking the system's first major update in a decade amid surging ridership, chronic overcrowding, and worsening traffic congestion that has earned the city a notorious ranking among Canada's most gridlocked urban centers.
The proposal, detailed in a report scheduled for presentation to the city's transportation standing committee on Monday, outlines changes to 37 percent of transit routes as part of a new "core service plan." If approved by the regional council, the plan aims to deliver immediate relief through more frequent trips, extended hours on high-demand lines, and the introduction of new routes to accommodate the city's rapid post-pandemic growth. Halifax, recently ranked by navigation firm TomTom as the third-most congested city in Canada—trailing only Vancouver and Toronto but surpassing Montreal—faces mounting pressure to modernize its public transportation as population booms and roadways buckle under the strain.
At the heart of the initiative is an effort to boost service on the busiest corridors, particularly during peak commuting periods. According to the report, this includes expanded operations for the airport bus, stretching from the current 22 hours per day to a full 24-hour schedule. A new bus line is also proposed to serve the rapidly expanding West Bedford neighborhood, where residential development has outpaced infrastructure planning. "It's a way to get short-term relief ahead of a larger reworking of the system expected in 2028," Halifax Transit stated in the document, emphasizing the plan's role as a bridge to more ambitious long-term reforms.
The last significant transit overhaul came in 2016, a five-year project that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and only fully implemented last year. That earlier revamp had successfully driven up ridership until the pandemic halted demand in 2020. By the 2023-24 fiscal year, boardings had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a broader recovery in urban mobility. However, Halifax's population has since exploded in ways the 2016 plan could not have anticipated. Statistics Canada estimates the city's population at nearly 545,000 in 2025, a 15 percent increase—or more than 70,000 additional residents—since 2020.
This demographic surge has translated into tangible strains on the transit system. Riders have voiced growing frustrations over overcrowded buses, unreliable schedules, and frequent missed trips. Halifax Transit's on-time performance, which stood at 88 percent in 2020 when pandemic restrictions kept many off the roads, has deteriorated sharply. By 2025, it had plummeted to just 69 percent, falling 16 percentage points short of the system's 85 percent target. The report highlights a threefold rise in overloaded buses since 2018, underscoring the urgency of the proposed interventions.
Weekday boardings across the network now average 104,000, up by 7,000 trips from 2018 levels. This uptick mirrors broader trends in public transit usage, even as hybrid work arrangements persist post-pandemic. Notably, the system's harbor ferries, which bypass road congestion entirely, have seen robust gains. Saturday ridership on the ferries has jumped 37 percent since 2018, with volumes now rivaling weekdays despite only one of the two lines operating on weekends. Depending on the day, between 58,000 and 65,000 passengers rely on the ferries, providing a reliable alternative in a city where buses often crawl through traffic.
Funding the core service plan won't come cheap. The city projects a need for 30 new buses, comprising 18-meter diesel articulated vehicles and 12-meter electric models, at a capital cost of $53 million over the next three years. Operating expenses are estimated at an additional $22.1 million, pushing the total investment to $70 million. For the average Halifax homeowner, this would translate to an extra $63.73 on their property tax bill over the same period, according to the report. While the price tag has sparked early discussions among council members, proponents argue it's essential to keep pace with demand and prevent further service breakdowns.
The proposal arrives against a backdrop of provincial and municipal efforts to tackle Halifax's traffic woes, which have intensified with suburban sprawl and remote work's uneven return. TomTom's congestion index, based on real-time navigation data, places Halifax's delays ahead of even larger metropolises like Montreal, a stark reminder of how geography—harbor-front location and hilly terrain—compounds the challenges. City officials have pointed to the transit revamp as a key piece of a multifaceted strategy, including road expansions and cycling infrastructure, though critics have called for bolder investments in rail or dedicated lanes.
Looking beyond the immediate changes, Halifax Transit is shifting away from rigid multi-year plans toward a more agile "strategic road map." This approach, the report explains, will enable quicker adaptations to emerging needs, such as new neighborhood developments and the rollout of major infrastructure projects. The roadmap envisions a comprehensive service redesign in 2028, one that integrates conventional buses with four proposed "bus rapid transit" (BRT) lines. These BRT corridors would feature all-day service, fewer stops, heightened frequency, transit-priority signals, and dedicated lanes to ferry passengers efficiently across the peninsula and suburbs.
The 2028 overhaul would also incorporate the planned Mill Cove ferry service, linking downtown Halifax to Bedford and weaving it into the broader network. This integration aims to create a seamless multi-modal system, leveraging ferries' reliability alongside enhanced bus and rapid transit options. "It will look to integrate regular bus service with four proposed 'bus rapid transit' lines designed to sweep people across town," the report states, highlighting the vision of a more connected and efficient urban transit fabric.
Stakeholders have welcomed the proposal's focus on frequency and coverage, but questions linger about implementation timelines and equity. Community groups in underserved areas, like parts of Dartmouth and the North End, have advocated for balanced expansions to ensure growth benefits all residents, not just booming suburbs like West Bedford. The transportation standing committee's Monday review will likely feature input from riders and experts, setting the stage for council deliberations in the coming weeks.
As Halifax grapples with its transformation from a mid-sized port city to a bustling regional hub, the transit plan represents a critical investment in sustainable mobility. With ridership recovering and population pressures mounting, the $70-million commitment could alleviate immediate pains while laying groundwork for a future-proof system. Approval by regional council remains pending, but the momentum suggests Halifax is poised to accelerate its transit evolution, potentially easing the congestion that defines daily life for hundreds of thousands.
The broader implications extend to environmental goals as well. By prioritizing electric buses and BRT infrastructure, the plan aligns with provincial targets for reducing emissions in transportation, Nova Scotia's largest carbon source. Success here could serve as a model for other growing Canadian cities facing similar bottlenecks, demonstrating how targeted upgrades can foster greener, more livable urban spaces.
For now, the eyes of transit advocates and commuters alike are on the standing committee. As one of the first steps in a decade-long journey toward modernized public transport, this core service plan could redefine how Haligonians move through their increasingly crowded streets.