Halifax Transit
| Metro Transit | |
|---|---|
| http://i.imgur.com/C7cqe.jpg | |
| Info | |
| Transit type |
Bus Paratransit Ferry |
| Number of lines |
57 Regular Routes 3 MetroLink Routes 3 Community Routes 2 Harbour Ferries 1 MetroX Route |
| Daily ridership | Approx. 19,500,000(2008) |
| Headquarters | 200 Ilsley Avenue, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
| Website | http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/ |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | January 1st, 1979 |
| Operator(s) | Halifax Regional Municipality |
| Number of vehicles | 315 |
Metro Transit is a Canadian public transport agency operating buses and ferries in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Metro Transit is owned by the Halifax Regional Municipality (HSR). Metro Transit provides services to Halifax and Dartmouth and the surrounding suburbs. Metro Transit was named the largest transit company in the Atlantic provinces.
History
Metro Transit was created in 1979 by merging of different transit companies from the Halifax/Dartmouth regions. Halifax Transit Corporation and Dartmouth Transit Service were merged in order to provide a more reliable service in the region. Though officially under the name of Metro Transit, Metro Transit only began operation of the company in early 1980. In the early years, buses were still being stored in the predecessor garages, then Metro Transit opened their own in 1981. A new garage was built in Burnside and opened in March 1981.
Metro Transit was one of the first companies to order the Classic Model, made in 1983 by GM. In 1984 Metro Transit experimented with a Saab Scanias, a funded test with the provincial government.
In 1992, Metro Transit ordered an articulated version of the classic model. This model was first delivered at the end of 1992, early 1993, by MCI. A total of 7 MCI articulated classics were delivered before the portion of MCI which made transit vehicles was sold to NovaBus, another 7 were made by NovaBus in 1993. Shortly after the last Metro Transit articulated classic, NovaBus discontinued the model.
Financial difficulties hit Metro Transit hard between 1996 and 1999, where budget cuts forced them to decrease service. No buses were ordered between this period and they had trouble providing service for the ever growing demand. In 1999, they received their first ever low floor buses. 10 buses were ordered from NovaBus in 1999 and 4 more in 2000. After receiving these low-floor buses, routes 3 and 7 were made a 100% Low Floor bus service, followed by the 54 the following year. Due to reliability issues, the 1999 and 2000 buses wheelchair ramp stopped working, therefore Metro Transit removed the wheelchair symbol off the 1999 buses, but never removed it from the 2000 buses.
In 2002, Metro Transit preferred NFI D40LF model. They ordered 32 in 2002 and an additional 145 in later years. Most of these buses were ordered to replace older buses, that were retired. Though this big order, did not help Metro Transit with the lack of vehicles and service, due to the increasing demand.
Bus Service
Regular Service
Metro Transit operates 57 Regular Routes in the regions Halifax Regional Municipality (Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville). Other areas covered include rural areas between (Eastern Passage, North Preston, Cherry Brook, Tantallon and Herring Cove). Bus routes are numbered depending on the service type or by the region they serve.
MetroLink Service
Metro Transit operates 3 MetroLink Routes which connect downtown Halifax Terminal (Scotia Square bus terminal) with Portland Hills and Sackville Terminals. Another MetroLink Route runs between Portland Hills terminal and Woodside Ferry Terminal. All MetroLink routes are numbered in the 100 series and use uniquely NFI D40LF buses. The buses assigned to this route feature a distinctive livery and feature transit priority measures to speed up service.
MetroX Rural Express
Metro Transit operates at the present time 1 MetroX route, which plans in the near future to add 2 more. MetroX routes provide service from Downtown Halifax (Scotia Square Terminal) to rural areas along the province's 100 series highways. The MetroX routes are numbered in the 300 series with the second digit representing the highway it serves. This buses are served by Glaval Bus Titans anf feature a distinctive livery.
Community Routes
Metro Transit operates a rural bus system, and was given the name of Community Routes. These routes have no route numbers nor do they have a designated bus stop. These community routes provide service to Beaver Bank, Porter Lake, East Preston and Sambro. All community routes are served by NFI D30LF, except during busier times where NFI D40LF's are used. The Samboro route is served by Glaval Bus Titans.
Ferry Routes
Metro Transit provides 2 ferry routes. Operating between Halifax (Lower Water terminal) and Dartmouth (Alderney Landing) which operates daily using 2 ferries. The other route connects downtown Halifax and Woodside. The second routes operates Monday through Friday during Rush Hour Only and operates using 1 ferry.
Access-A-Bus Routes
Access-A-Bus is the equivalent to paratransit in other cities. This service is a dial-a-ride system for the elderly and handicapped residents of the city. Access-A-Bus Routes are served by 20 cutaways.
Routes
- 01-29: Serves Halifax 7 days a week
- 30-39: Serves Halifax during Rush Hour Only
- 40-49: Dalhousie University
- 50-79: Serves Dartmouth
- 80-89: Serves Bedford and Lower Sackville
- 100 Series: MetroLink
- 300 Series: MetroX
- Community Transit Routes: Serves Rural communities
