Halifax Transit tap-to-pay upgrades delayed by three months

Halifax Transit users face a three-month delay for the long-awaited tap-to-pay fare system, with the rollout now expected in December instead of mid-September. This setback has drawn sharp criticism from some city councillors.

“

This is a mess. Unbelievable. It’s embarrassing.

Councillor Tony Mancini called the update "embarrassing," highlighting that many global cities already utilize this technology. "We continue to delay and delay and delay," he stated during a council meeting, expressing frustration over the repeated postponements.

The original plan, approved during the municipality's spring budget deliberations, included both the tap-to-pay implementation and a 25-cent fare increase to $3.25 for adult bus, Access-a-Bus, and ferry tickets. However, staff proposed separating these changes, raising fares in September while deferring the tap-to-pay upgrade.

“

We have cities all around the world that have tap-and-pay, as the mayor said, not new technology. But we continue to delay and delay and delay.

Mayor Andy Fillmore strongly objected to this proposal, arguing it breaks a "deal with transit users." He advocated for delaying the fare increase until December, coinciding with the tap-to-pay launch. Fillmore also suggested finding the $288,000 budget gap caused by this delay within Halifax Transit's substantial budget.

“

The council during budget deliberations made a deal with transit users and that deal was we’ll raise the transit fare and in exchange, we’ll provide an enhanced service.

Halifax Transit's executive director, Robin Gerus, accepted responsibility for the holdup, citing unforeseen vendor involvement and external timelines. Despite the challenges, Deputy Mayor Patty Cuttell urged the council to focus on a secure and reliable implementation, ensuring a positive user experience in the end. The mayor's amended motion to link fare increases with the tap-to-pay upgrade passed unanimously.

“

I don’t want to prejudge that, but Halifax Transit has a significantly large budget and to find $280,000 in it, I would like to see them try to do that and I’m hoping that’s what the staff report will illuminate, but we’ll have to wait and see.