Halifax Transit seeks to expand low-income transit pass program

Halifax Transit wants to expand a program that offers discount passes to low-income passengers.

A six-month pilot project offered 500 half-price monthly passes a number the agencynow hopes to double.

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Patricia Hughes, Halifax Transit's manager of planning and scheduling, said reviews of the pilot have been positive.

"We've talked to some of the applicants, the people that are buying the passes, and they definitely appreciate the program so on all accounts it seems to be a success," she said.

$160K a year

The idea of increasing the program to 1,000 was approvedThursdayafternoon byHalifax's transportation standing committee and it now moves on to regional council.

Hughes estimates the price tag for the expanded program to be about $160,000 a year

"It's not so much a cost as a loss of revenue for the folks that would have been buying it for full price before," she said.

The applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and those who are accepted pay $39 for a regular monthly pass instead of $78. It cuts MetroLink to $47.25 and MetroX to $55.50.

To be eligible, applicants must live in HRM and have a family income of less than $33,000 a year.

Hughes said if approved by councilthe expanded program would start in July.