Halifax Transit has rolled out new ways to buy fares through its HFXGO mobile app, but the system still does not offer the contactless "tap-to-pay" functionality many riders have been waiting for.
What’s new in HFXGO
The Halifax Regional Municipality on Monday introduced a “tap and ride” option that lets users transfer funds into their HFXGO account and pay fares by scanning a barcode when boarding buses and ferries. The update also enables automatic fare capping so users who rely on the new method will not pay more than a set maximum over a day or month.
- Daily fare cap: $7.50
- Monthly fare cap: $90
- Payment method: barcode from HFXGO after loading funds (not debit or credit tap)
Those caps match the cost of existing daily and monthly equivalents, including the price of a monthly pass, and are intended to provide predictable costs for frequent riders using the app’s new funding option.
Tap-to-pay remains the missing piece
The new features stop short of implementing tap-to-pay directly with debit or credit cards — the contactless payment option that riders and councillors have repeatedly requested. The city first announced plans to pursue tap-to-pay in 2019 and at one point expected the service to be ready by 2021. That timeline has stretched considerably.
“It’s better than where we were … but it's still not the contactless payment,” said Coun. Tony Mancini, who has called the delays “embarrassing.”
Coun. Mancini has been among those publicly critical of the repeated postponements. City councillors in July delayed a planned 25-cent fare increase until Dec. 21 after learning the September rollout of tap-to-pay would not happen as expected. Mancini said he still hopes the feature will be activated by the end of the year, though he acknowledged he does not have a specific date.
Why this matters for Halifax riders
For many commuters, contactless tap-to-pay represents a simpler and faster boarding process and reduces the need to carry specific transit cards or pre-load funds. The barcode-and-top-up approach improves flexibility compared with having only cash or fixed fare media, but it does not provide the same convenience as tapping a debit or credit card.
Operationally, tap-to-pay could also reduce dwell times at stops if passengers can board more quickly. The rollout delays have been a point of frustration for some councillors and transit advocates who point to years of planning and repeated postponements.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Available now |
|---|---|
| Top up HFXGO account | Yes |
| Pay with barcode | Yes |
| Fare capping (daily/monthly) | Yes ($7.50 / $90) |
| Tap-to-pay (debit/credit) | No (delayed) |
Halifax Transit and the municipality have not provided a new firm launch date for direct tap-to-pay, and repeated delays have stretched the timeline first set out in 2019. For now, riders who want the convenience of a smartphone fare option can preload funds and use the barcode, gaining the benefit of fare capping, while those who prefer direct contactless bank-card payments must continue to wait.
The changes to HFXGO are a partial step toward a more modern fare system, but the absence of tap-to-pay leaves a widely requested improvement unresolved, keeping the conversation between city councillors, transit users and municipal staff very much alive.
