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Halifax Transit passengers accustomed to having exact change or finding a retail outlet that sells bus tickets may soon be able to use their mobile phones to pay when boarding, according to the city’s website.
Halifax Transit says it will launch a new mobile fare payment app for Android and iOS devices starting some time this fall.
The announcement does not give an exact date but says it will operate as an additional payment option to actual tickets and cash.
The Halifax Transit webpage says “users of the app simply need to purchase their desired ticket or pass, activate the ticket, and show it to the Operator or ferry security staff just prior to boarding.”
Passengers at the Mumford Terminal on Saturday said the new option would likely be more convenient for some people.
Liz Cobb, who was waiting for her bus with her Halifax Transit monthly pass in hand, said she takes the bus to her job five days a week, but not usually on the weekends.
Cobb said she would consider switching over to the new system once it is introduced.
Graham Dodge, who volunteers at Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Halifax, said his only concern is if the cost of the new system will raise the ticket price.
He said finding the correct change for the bus or a place that sells tickets might be difficult for some people.
“I’m a cash-and-carry kind of guy,” Dodge said. “But I also realized that I’m a dinosaur or getting to be one…. I realize that that’s not the direction that society is headed.”
Faith Daley takes the bus from time to time. She said using an app would probably work for a lot of people, but not her.
“I find apps a little confusing and I don’t use them a lot,” Daley said. “I just buy bus tickets at the drugstore and I have them all the time.”
Halifax Transit says the app will be their branded version of the JustRide app by Masabi, which is used by more than 75 transit authorities around the world.
According to the webpage, a ticket or pass activated on the app can be used on another bus or ferry route without the need for a paper transfer. It said tickets on the app are valid for 150 minutes from activation.
One-, two- and seven-day passes will be available on the app along with monthly passes and single tickets, the webpage says.
Halifax Transit said it will continue to accept cash and physical tickets once the app is launched.
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