According to a new report by CBC News, Halifax Transit’s long-awaited fare-paying smartphone app is expected to go live in December, although people will still be able to use traditional paper bus tickets.
The latest release timeline was shared earlier this week by Halifax Transit’s manager of technical services Mark Santilli at the municipality’s transportation standing committee.
“We hope to have everything signed in the next few weeks. And then after that, it’s a matter of four to six weeks in terms of rollout,” Santilli said in response to questions from councillors.
The transportation committee also heard a presentation from the municipality’s newest business improvement district.
The chair of the Porters Lake Business Association, Chris Atwood, presented a plan “to create a feeling of a village or a community” by adding a walking and biking trail between Highway 7 and the parking lots for local businesses.
The plan also calls for pedestrian crosswalks and a bench and bus shelter for the express bus service stops at a local mall.
Once the app goes live, Halifax Transit riders will be able to buy virtual tickets using their smartphones first, and then show their smartphone screens to bus drivers as they board.
Over the next nine months, Transit will install scanners that will read the app automatically.
