Outdated Metro Transit maps get fix

Metro Transit has put out a call for more user-friendly route maps in the Halifax region.

Transit officials say they hope an updated paper and online map will be in the hands of passengers within six months.

As the bus routes in the Halifax region expand, Metro Transit adds them to their maps, but the format hasn't been updated in 20 years.

They're not popular with many riders.

Patricia Hughes, a supervisor with Metro Transit, said passengers regularly call in to complain that the maps are frustrating and confusing.

“It is difficult to read. Burnside for example is split up in sections and you can't look at all of Burnside at once on the map,” she said.

Hughes said the transit service wants a map that can handle any future changes. 

“There will always be, I think, a need for a hard copy map so I think it’s important to have a good one,” she said.

Metro Transit said it will choose a company to do the work in early October.

Then four possible options will be vetted by focus groups of current and potential transit users in early December.

The updated route maps should be ready by next spring.