Halifax Transit is a Canadian public transport service operating buses and ferries in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Founded as Metro Transit in March 1982, Halifax Transit provides service in the urban service and adjacent area of the regional municipality utilizing 2 ferry routes, 57 conventional bus routes, two limited stop express routes, and three limited stop rural express routes. Halifax Transit also operates Accessabus, a door-to-door paratransit service for seniors and the disabled. In 2nd quarter 2016 bus ridership was 3.96 million, ferry ridership 641,000, and Accessabus ridership was 37,300. According to the 2011 census, Halifax has the 7th highest proportion of workers taking transit to work in a city in Canada.HistoryHalifax was among first cities in Canada to be served by an integrated public transportation system, pre-dated only by Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.The municipality's first transit service came with establishment of the Dartmouth ferry service, first chartered in 1752. In 1816 the sail powered ferry was replaced by a horse powered boat, and in 1830 with a steam ferry. While private omnibus services are known to have begun in the city at least as early as 1854, the roots of Halifax Transit date back to June 11, 1866.The Halifax City Railroad Company (HCR) began operations with five horse-drawn trams on rails that stretched from the corner of Barrington Street and Inglis Street in the south end to the city’s first railway station near the corner of Duffus Street and Campbell Road (now Barrington Street) in the north end.
