Halifax Transit bus ridership continues to decline

The ridership on Halifax's buses continues to decline and transit managers don't expect the numbers to bounce back for a few years.

The latest statistics show a two per cent decrease for April, May and June in 2017 compared with the same period the year before. Ridership numbers on conventional buses have gone down steadily for the past four years.

Transit manager Patricia Hughes has a possible explanation for the trend.

"A key component for us is the bridge re-decking," said Hughes, referring to work to upgrade the Macdonald Bridge. "We're hoping that explains some of the decline."

'Change is hard'

The Big Lift project is expected to wrap up in a few months. But Hughes said a lot of change is planned over the next couple of years, including a redesign of the routes, which will be brought in on Nov. 27.

"We may see more decreases because change is hard," said Hughes. "We just need to be prepared for the fact that we are making significant changes."

The November changes include the elimination of Route 6 Quinpool. Most of the route will be covered by other buses.

Route changes coming in November

Other changes include:

• Route 22 Armdale service will no longer go to Exhibition Park.
• Route 9 Barrington replaced by new Route 29, with stops at the Halifax ferry terminal and Bayers Road Centre.
• New high-frequency corridor routes 9A and 9B will replace Route 19 Greystone and Route 20 Herring Cove.

Hughes said it could take one to two years for people to adjust. There are also a number of technological changes coming, including a new fare box system that officials hope will encourage more people to use the transit system.