At long last, you can finally buy Halifax Transit tickets on your smartphone
New app lets you buy single fares, and daily, weekly and monthly passes
A long-delayed mobile app by Halifax Transit that will allow riders to buy fares and passes electronically is finally available.
The HFXGO app launched Thursday on the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android, more than four years after transit officials first suggested the possibility of electronic payments.
City council originally approved the plan to build a mobile app in July 2020, with a goal of going cashless by 2025, and U.K.-based service fare collector Masabi was awarded a contract to build the app in 2022.
Originally expected to launch by the end of last year, the city later said the app would be available by summer, blowing past that deadline once again.
"Before today, passengers had to rely on finding exact change ... or having to find a retailer to purchase tickets or monthly passes," says Marc Santilli, technical services manager for Halifax Transit.
Speaking with transit users at Halifax Transit's Mumford terminal on Thursday, many were delighted to learn that they could now purchase tickets on their phone.
"It's pretty awesome," said Sheena Martin. "I use the old app and I'm going to probably use this one from now on, you can buy your own tickets and everything, it's just really easy to navigate."
"I plan on purchasing tickets so I can just show them instead of losing it, because I always lose the actual ticket," added Ben Baynesay.
In a release, Halifax Transit said the app is a locally branded version of Masabi's JustRide app, which is used by public transportation agencies across the world.
HFXGO is the first part of a two-phased approach to instituting electronic fares. The next step, Halifax Transit said, is installing onboard validators on each bus.
"The total cost of phase one and two ... was approximately $1.3 million," said Santilli.
For now, users of the mobile app are simply asked to show their fare or pass to transit operators when boarding.
Paper transfers will not be required, and each fare will allow the holder to transfer to another bus or ferry route for up to 150 minutes after activation.
Eventually, reloadable plastic smart cards will also be available, along with the ability to pay prior to boarding using debit or credit tap.
The roll out for these features is still being determined, Halifax Transit wrote on its website.
With files from Paul Palmeter and Paul Poirier
