Metro Transit (Halifax)

Halifax Transit

From top-left: Halifax Transit bus in new livery, Lacewood Terminal at night, view of Halifax from the deck of the Stannix, warning on Halifax III railing, new entrance to Dartmouth Alderney terminal.
Overview
Area served	HRM Urban Transit Service Area
Locale	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Transit type	Bus, Ferry
Number of lines	57 bus routes 2 ferry routes 5 express bus lines
Number of stations	Bayers Road Bridge Cobequid Dalhousie Dartmouth Ferry Downsview Halifax Ferry Highfield Hubley Centre Lacewood Lower Water Street Mic Mac Mumford Penhorn Portland Hills Sackville Scotia Square Tacoma Centre Woodside Ferry
Daily ridership	96,961
Key people	Dave Reage, Director
Headquarters	200 Ilsley Avenue, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Website	http://halifax.ca/transit
Operation
Began operation	1982
Operator(s)	Halifax Regional Municipality
Number of vehicles	312 buses 5 ferries

Halifax Transit is a Canadian public transport service operating buses and ferries in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Founded as Metro Transit in March 1982, Halifax Transit provides service in the urban service and adjacent area of the regional municipality utilizing 2 ferry routes, 57 conventional bus routes, two limited stop express routes, and three limited stop rural express routes. Halifax Transit also operates Accessabus, a door-to-door paratransit service for seniors and the disabled. In 2nd quarter 2016 bus ridership was 3.96 million, ferry ridership 641,000, and Accessabus ridership was 37,300. According to the 2011 census, Halifax has the 7th highest proportion of workers taking transit to work in a city in Canada.

Halifax was among first cities in Canada to be served by an integrated public transportation system, pre-dated only by Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.

The municipality's first transit service came with establishment of the Dartmouth ferry service, first chartered in 1752. In 1816 the sail powered ferry was replaced by a horse powered boat, and in 1830 with a steam ferry. While private omnibus services are known to have begun in the city at least as early as 1854, the roots of Halifax Transit date back to June 11, 1866.

The Halifax City Railroad Company (HCR) began operations with five horse-drawn trams on rails that stretched from the corner of Barrington Street and Inglis Street in the south end to the city’s first railway station near the corner of Duffus Street and Campbell Road (now Barrington Street) in the north end.

Notwithstanding a ten-year hiatus, horse-drawn street railway services continued in Halifax until April 1896 when the system, now operated by the Halifax Electric Tramway Company, completed the conversion to electric-powered operation. The street railway served Halifax until March 1949, when the war-worn trams were replaced by "trackless" electric trolley coaches.