Halifax Transit buses won't be going back on the city's roads until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the municipality announced Monday.

"That's about the safety and security of both passengers and employees in that we will not have clear sidewalks or bus stops beginning tomorrow morning," said Tiffany Chase, a city spokesperson.

She said the ferry service should be available earlier — at 7 a.m. Tuesday — barring any mechanical issues or unforeseen circumstances.

Chase said the decision to delay transit operations wasn't taken lightly.

"A lot of people rely on public transit to get to work and school but when looking at the weather forecast and status of our winter operations clearing, we had to make the decision to not reinstate the full service beginning in the morning."

Chase said clearing of sidewalks and bus stops would begin on Tuesday, but she didn't expect either to be fully accessible for several days.