Bus Service, Halifax

Public transportation is limited to the bus and the harbour ferry. It's not too bad a system for the most part though weekends and holiday service is a bit sparser. Main routes are serviced regularly then at least and there are improvements in the offing.

2010 prices: Adult prices: It costs $2.25 for a bus ride, and you can ask for a paper transfer good for up to an hour or an hour and a half. For Adults, a sheet of 10 tickets is $18 and a monthly pass is $70. Children under 5 are free. Children 5 and over and Seniors (65+) are $1.50 cash, $52 for a monthly pass and $13.00 for 10 tickets. Students only get a discount for the pass, $64.00 but several universities include a pass in the yearly tuition.

NOTE: you must have exact change, Drivers do not make change.

The transfer is also good on the harbour ferries. The main one connects downtown Dartmouth and Halifax and is a lovely 12 minute or so ride. You get a great view of the Halifax skyline from the upper deck on a nice day. Website has route maps and schedules.

The MetroLink is an express service. The 165 bus links from the Woodside ferry terminal to the Portland Hills terminal at weekdays rush hours only. The 159 bus links from Portland Hills to downtown Halifax (Scotia Square only and only from Monday to Friday all day) and the 185 from the Sackville Terminal to downtown again, only Monday to Friday all day. The cost for these express busses is 50 cents more than the regular fares. Passes are available. You can pay the 50 cents plus a transfer, regular priced ticket or if you have a regular pass, pay 50 cents and show the pass.

The MetroX service is a newish express bus service mainly for commuters to come into the city from the outlying areas in the morning and back in the evening. There are a couple of return trips through the day with most of the service one way in in the morning and out at afternoon rush our.

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1 Mumford Terminal-Spring Garden-Darthm. Br
2 Wedgewood-Bayers-Mumford-Scotia
3 Manors-Bayers-Point Pleasant
4 Sherwood Heights-Lacewood-Rosedale-Bayers-Mumford-Scotia
5 Fairmount-Mumford-Chebucto-Scotia
6 Armadale-Mumford-Quinpool-Scotia
7 Northridge-Robie-Scotia Square-Gottingen
9 Mumford-Barrington-Scotia Square-Point Pleasant
10 Dalhousie-Darthm. Br-MicMacMall-Tacoma
14 Leiblin-Armadale-Mumford-Dalhousie-Scotia
15 Mumford-Purcell's Cove
17 Lacewood-Bayers-Saint Mary's-Dalhousie
18 Lacewood Terminal-Windsor-Dalhousie Universities
20 Herring Cove-Greystone-Spryfield-Mumford-Cornwallis
21 Lakeside/Timberlea-Lacewood-Summer
26 Metro Transit Shuttle
31 Lacewood-Main-Summer
32 Cowie Hill-Spryfield-Scotia
33 Tantallon-Lacewood-Summer
34 Glenbourne-Lacewood-Summer
35 Parkland-Rockingham-Scotia-Hollis
41* Dalhousie-Darthmouth Br
42* Lacewood-Dalhousie
51 Shannon-Darthmouth Bridge-Gottingen
52 Burnside Industrial-Commodore Business-Crosstown-Bayers Lake
53 Highfield-Notting-Darthm. Br-Summer
54 Montebello-MicMacMall-Darthmouth Ferry
55 Portobello-Port Wallace-MicMacMall-Darthm. Ferry
58 Woodlawn-Pennhorn-Darthm. Br-Mumford
59 Colby-Portland Hills-Darthm. Br-Summer
60 Eastern Passage-Darthmouth Ferries-Darthm. Br
61 Auburn/North Preston-Portland Hill-Pennhorn-Darthm. Br-Scotia
62 Forest Hills-Wildwood-Pennhorn-Darthm. Br
63 Woodside-Darthmouth Ferries-Darthm. Br
64 Burnside Industrial-Akerley-Highfield-Darthm. Br
65 Astral-Portland Hills-Pennhorn-Dartm. Ferry
66 Penhorn-MicMacMall-Highfield-Sackville
68 Cherry Brook-Portland Hills-Ferry-Darthm. Br-Summer
72 Portland Hills-MicMacMall-MetroTransit-Highfield
80 Sackville-Bayers-Scotia
81 Hemlock Ravine-Birch Cove-Bayers-Scotia
82 Sackville-Millwood-Fairview-Scotia
83 Springfield-Sackville
84 Sackville-Glendale-Cobequid-Summer
85 Cobequid-Downsview-Sackville-Summer
86 Bedford-Basinview-Clayton-Summer
87 Sackville-Downsview-Cobequid-Highfield-Darthm. Br-Summer
159 Portland Hills-Darthmouth Br-Duke
165 Portland Hills-Woodside Link
185 Sackville-Burnside industrial-Duke

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FRED stands for Free Rides Everywhere Downtown Halifax. It's a free bus service operated by the Downtown Halifax Business Club.

Bus service:
July to the end of October, seven days a week from 10:30AM to 5:30PM.

Bus stops:
-Cruise Ship Pavilion/Pier 21 on the :30/:10/:50
-Casino Nova Scotia on the :38/:18/:58
-Top of the Halifax Citadel on the :48/:28/:08

Although Halifax has a reasonable bus service, it is very difficult to find the necessary information. Even the bus stops are difficult to spot, and when you have found one there is no information on routes, times or anything.

You really need to get a transport map and timetable booklet from the tourist information centre (on Barrington Street, or the harbourfront behind the Maritime Museum), or check-out (and print off) information from the Halifax Metro Transit website listed below.

The fare is $1.75 (exact change required), and you need to ask the driver if you want a transfer ticket. You can buy multiple tickets at a discount from some retail oulets, but these are only available in 20s ($30 = $1.50 per ticket) and so not so useful if you are only here for a few days.

The bus was convenient because the terminal was right across the street from my hotel in Dartmouth - the Harborview Holiday Inn. Also, crossing MacDonald Bridge offered a great view of Halifax Harbor. The bus was the same price as the ferry ( $1.65 one way) - quite reasonable. I did have to wait for the bus a little longer.

well bus 12 takes you to the Bayers Lake shopping District just off highway 103....... it has lots of big cool stores like Costco, WalMart, IMAX theatre and tons more.....other buses that are cool are like 21 and 4........
Well drive or take the buses, or a cab.