New fare payment options announced to help Halifax Transit users
Posted Sep 25, 2026 11:07:18 AM.
The HFXGO mobile fare payment app will soon feature a Tap & Ride barcode, helping transit users pay smoothly and for the lowest possible cost.
Those with HFXGO who have been adding funds to their account can now access the barcode to pay fares on busses and ferries. The funds are then automatically taken from their account balance, eliminating the need for individual ticket purchases.
Halifax Transit has also announced the changes will include fare capping through the Tap & Ride barcode to ensure riders do not exceed $7.50 per day or $90 per month in adult fares. Fare capping will also benefit seniors and Regional Express services.
These features are exclusively available to HFXGO users who have a verified account, have added funds and use the Tap & Ride barcode. Individual tickets purchased and activated in the app do not count toward fare capping.
This new Tap & Ride barcode feature brings Halifax Transit closer to launching tap to pay later this year, which will allow the option for contactless fare payment with credit and debit cards.
New bus plan being looked at
The organization is undergoing a $70 million revamp on the transportation system, the first real upgrade in a decade.
The proposal includes more frequent trips and expanded hours on many of the city’s busiest bus routes, especially at peak commuting times.
It also calls for a new bus line serving the fast-growing West Bedford neighbourhood and increased service for the airport bus from the current 22 hours to 24 hours.
Halifax Transit says it’s a way to get short-term relief ahead of a larger reworking of the system expected in 2028.
There’s now an average of 104,000 weekday boardings across the transit system, a 7,000-trip increase from 2018. The city says the number of overloaded buses has increased threefold over that period.
The report notes Halifax Transit’s harbour ferries don’t get stuck in traffic and ridership is up. Saturday ridership has increased 37 per cent since 2018 with just one of the two ferry lines running on weekends and the numbers are now comparable to weekday ridership.
Around 58,000 to 65,000 people take the ferry, depending on the day.
With files from Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press
