Halifax Transit, in partnership with Masabi, has launched account-based ticketing (ABT) across its network of buses and ferries. With the new system, riders can utilize the HFXGO app to board, receiving the best fare available to them without needing to decide which ticket or pass to buy before they travel.

Riders can scan the HFXGO app on a Justride Validator when boarding a bus or when entering the platform at a ferry terminal. With fare capping, riders never pay more than the price of a day pass, currently C$7.50 (US$5.27) for adults. The fare capping also extends across the month, with spend capped at the value of a monthly pass—currently C$90 (US$63.19). Halifax Transit notes that concession and youth fares are also capped at their own reduced rates.

“This launch marks a major step forward in making Halifax Transit services easier to use, faster and more convenient for everyone who rides with us,” said Halifax Transit Executive Director Robin Gerus. “Riders no longer need to work out which ticket or pass to buy before they travel, and they can move between our buses and our ferries knowing they will always pay the best fare.”

Bus and ferry journeys count toward the same caps, so a commuter who rides a bus to the terminal and crosses the harbor by ferry is treated as making one journey through one network, not two trips through two fare systems.

The launch builds on Halifax Transit’s HFXGO mobile ticketing rollout with Masabi in November 2023. Masabi says the modular design of its Justride platform allowed the agency to add account-based fares and validation on top of the digital foundation it already had, keeping day-to-day operations stable through the transition.

Continuing program of modernization, Halifax Transit is set to deploy open loop payments in the coming months, allowing passengers to pay for riders directly with a contactless credit or debit card or mobile wallet.

“Transit agencies are increasingly looking to modernize fare collection without taking on the cost and risk of replacing everything at once,” said Masabi CEO Brian Zanghi. “Halifax Transit’s progression from mobile ticketing to a fully account-based system, with open payments to follow, shows how agencies can build capability in phases on top of what already works. We are delighted to partner with them on this next step."