Halifax councillors 'embarrassed' that tap

Halifax councillors 'embarrassed' that tap-to-pay transit delayed until December

Fare increases set to launch alongside new technology also pushed back

Halifax regional council unanimously voted Tuesday to delay a transit fare hike until December, after learning tap-to-pay technology set to launch alongside the increase won’t be ready by the planned September rollout date.

Council initially voted in March to increase fares by 25 cents on all single-ride tickets, with new adult fares priced at $3.25 and senior and youth fares set at $2.50.

The price hike will now be pushed back by three months to Dec. 21, but the debut of a tap-to-pay system lacks a definitive date.

Mayor Andy Fillmore said year’s end is the earliest Haligonians will see the technology.

Fillmore, who tabled the motion to delay the fare increase, said council doesn’t want riders to loosen purse strings for technology upgrades they won’t enjoy for three more months.

“If we ask people to pay more, they should receive better service at the same time, and as we now know, that is no longer the case,” Fillmore said.

Rollout 'is a mess,' says councillor

Several councillors, including Tony Mancini, said the delayed implementation of tap-to-pay technology is “embarrassing.”

“This is a mess,” Mancini said. “I don't know how many months or years we're overdue on this project, but it is truly a mess. We have cities all around the world that have tap and pay. As the mayor said, [it’s] not new technology, but we continue to delay and delay and delay.”

Halifax Transit has been talking about implementing a tap-to-pay option since 2019, originally hoping to have the technology up and running by 2021.

The new system will allow riders to board transit by tapping a contactless payment card or smart device, eliminating the need for paper tickets or cash. Transit Cape Breton implemented similar technology last month.

Halifax Transit has said it expects the new system will increase ridership by providing more payment options for users.

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In a June 29 report to council, Halifax Transit said implementing the technology requires testing, security validation and co-ordination that is “more complex and time intensive than initially anticipated.”

These factors are outside of its control, according to the report, and are “managed by external vendors.”

Robin Gerus, executive director of Halifax Transit, told council he takes responsibility for pushing a project timeline that the tap-to-pay vendor couldn't ultimately meet.

“I misjudged the timelines based on the information that I had when I came to council,” Gerus said. “So that's on me.”

Delaying the fare increase by three months is projected to create a $288,600 budget shortfall that Fillmore said Halifax Transit will ultimately be responsible for remedying.

“They need to look into their budget and find out where they can find $280,000 in a way that doesn't impact taxpayers,” he said.

Once implemented, the increase is expected to generate about $1.7 million in additional revenue per fiscal year.

Council also heard Tuesday that the municipality can no longer purchase all of the buses it approved when passing an updated transit plan in March, due to a 22 per cent price hike levied by the supplier after the plan was passed.

Despite budgeting for 10 new buses, the municipality can now only afford seven.

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Jenna Olsen is a 2026 Joan Donaldson/Peter Gzowski CBC News summer scholar, who previously reported for the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Globe and Mail. She received the 2026 World Press Freedom Canada Student Achievement Award and a silver Digital Publishing Award for investigative reporting. Reach her at jenna.olsen@cbc.ca