halifax has more bars per capita than alot of other cities, haligonians love their late nights,
and with the efforts from the city in trying to get more people to take the bus, and them raising the fares, you would think it logical to throw a night bus or two on the roads, something that will take you from downtown to dartmouth (where almost everyone lives) that runs a little later than 12.15
its a joke, and its a pain to wait an hour downtown for a cab and pay shit loads for it, when you would be more than glad to ride an evening bus for (and i would pay if we got some better service) 2.75 . which is what most cities charge for metro service, AND THEIR METRO SERVICE RUNS RIGHT!!!! lets take a page from montreal’s book, they have 1/5th the land size with millions more people and they can somehow manage to have the greastest metro service ive ever experienced,
— sick of walking in the am
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2009.
I agree with this bitch. Might not be possible, but it sure would be nice to be able to go out downtown and not have to pay 25 bucks for a cab home.
I think maybe upping the fare post midnight and running a limited service would be a great idea.
Just what a bus driver needs, 40 fucking drunks to deal with. I don’t think you could pay any fool enough to do this.
“take a page from montreal’s book, they have 1/5th the land size with millions more people and they can somehow manage to have the greastest metro service ive ever experienced”
This is a really dumb sentence
Most people live in downtown Dartmouth? Huh.
guy didn’t say they live in downtown dartmouth, he said from downtown to dartmouth, still wrong, just not as wrong
Whether or not he’s wrong about montreal being awesome or everyone living in Dartmouth, he’s dead on about needing a late night bus in this city. When I lived in Ottawa, they had bus service running until after 2 (just a couple of the main lines) and it served well to get people off the street and home safe. And Ottawa has a SHITTY bar scene.
Montreal’s after hours bus service sucks ass. Remember, the reason why Montreal’s Transit system works is because the have a fantastic subway system and they don’t run after 11:30; so you’re relegated to the buses, and they’re not too useful unless you’re going to McGill or the western portion of the city.
I’m with Bro Tim – I’m sure 99.9% bus drivers would rather have a spike driven through their foreheads than drive a bunch of stupid, idiotic drunks barfing and pissing all over the bus.
I can’t speak to the transit sustem in Montreal, or the population of Dartmouth, but I do agree that a couple of late night buses would be a good thing to have, especially on the weekends.
And I elect PDG to drive one of them 🙂
When I lived in Fredericton they tried having a special bus that would pick up people at the bars at 2 a.m. and run up to the University and other areas..the locals nicknamed it the “Vomit Comet” for good reason. At any rate it did not last. The driver ended up having to pull over and call police on 4 seperate occassions because of fights.
I couldnt agree more!
i live in dartmouth and lately witht he bridge closure you knwo its an extra $5+ to get home!
why is it the cities responsiblity to get a drunk home safely or not?
oh, I see, there are no bars in dartmouth… so you HAVE to come to Halifax. Lucky us.
a late bus is a horrible idea… and not only because they would need several to go in each direction, but that the bus in question would be literally slimy at best afterward.
wanna go downtown to get drammered hunk?
Do what the students do and live near the bars they frequent.
It’s not the cities fault just a suggestion!
i dont think the buses should run all night just exstent their hours up untill 2:15
I mind you i’m not going “downtown” nor do i frequent the bars i just go check out a show or too
I’ve been wondering about that ever since I moved here from Toronto where they run the subway and buses late without any major issues with intoxicated people.
You would only need to run a few main routes, the 1, maybe the 2 or 4 to cover a lot of the city, including Dartmouth.
It would make the city safer. I know I’ve felt unsafe walking home at times. People would be less tempted to drink and drive.
I’d be willing to pay more for this service.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the vote of confidence NM 😉
TTFN has what I think the best idea of the biggest issue with this. Many (not all) drivers simply don’t want to drive a bus they know will be full of drunks. If the city were to do this, it would likely run just the university routes (1, 10, possibly the 18) and would probably cease in the summer like the 41/42.
If late night service is what you want, contact your councillor, join in on any student rallies behind this issue and speak up whenever this hits the news. If the city knows they’ll recoup most of the cost of running a bus that late, they may pilot it. Of course, this may take a while, but keep at it.
Montreal can manage a better metro system because of their 1/5th land size and millions more people, not despite it. It’s all about the demand – the number of people trying to get back to Dartmouth after 12:15 would never be enough to rationalize a late night bus.
Until a lot more in the city starts taking public transit, the system will never be be improved. If everyone did start using it, it would be over-capacity and be awful for different reasons. Therein lies the eternal dilemma.
If the city has enough forethought to keep the buses going on New Years Eve then… sorta easy math, huh?
If the bars cared about you after your money was gone they would be in the best position to solicit the city for a bus to service their patrons. The brave one would hire his own shuttle bus specifically for his patrons AND his staff, just to get the ball rolling and lead by example.
to HALIFAXMENTOR- the reason it is the “City’s Responsibility” to get drunks home safely is simple. If there are not enough options available, these “drunks” will get in their car and drive home drunk, thus jeapardizing the safety of innocent Haligonians…simple enough?
PEOPLE not everyone is out drunk and whoring it up at the bars!!!
Like i stated before run the buses 2 hours later that gives people le-way if they wanna get home from bars, friends etc.. make it just like new years eve!
Lets not forget those poor souls who work shifts. At least have the ferry run until 0030 so my poor girlfriend can take it home after her evening shifts at the HI. And maybe we could have ferry service that runs before 6:30? Just a thought…
I can understand that bus drivers don’t want to deal with drunk idiots… But do you think the cab drivers want to either? Suck it up, deal with it, and include barf bags on the bus
I agree with Jennifer as well… I use to have to work til 4:00AM. I would either have to walk, or fork over $10 for a cab because Metro Transit doesn’t offer anything useful.
But I’m pretty sure the thoughts and hopes of night transit (even if it’s just a few main routes running less frequently) is wishful thinking… Le sigh…
I agree jennier. When I was a server I would be leaving anywhere from 12:30-3:00am. Another job, where I worked with the European market, had me starting at 4:30am. In both instances I had to take my car when I would have preferred walking or a bus. My SO would not allow me to walk because of the drunks/thugs and bussing was not an option. Unfortunately the “vomit comet” is the likely outcome of such an undertaking in Halifax.
People are dense. It’s hard to get a cab after midnight in downtown Halifax? Really? Wow. Let’s set up a bus service. Right. People love working with drunks who don’t pay, barf and/or get violent.
RefinedSugar: You think the cab drivers enjoy it any more than a bus driver would? At least with a bus you have to pay BEFORE you get on the bus, unlike a cab when you pay upon arrival of your destination.
As for the violence, there’s video cameras on the bus now, and I’m sure a cop can be placed on the bus. The “vomit commet” can be resolved by including little barf baggies… They do it on airplanes, and grey hounds
i can see why they wouldnt wanna deal with drunk idoits also but ocne agian not everyone is drunk
Jane, this comment made you bitch supreme! I bequeath the honour. I’m glad it’s you and not that other bitch.
Bitch on. Bitch on.
I have seen barf bags on airplanes, but never got close to a greyhound to see if they have them or not. I am scared of dogs, and dont think it would be a good trip.
actually, Dr Fever, the Métro (subway trains) runs until 01:30 on the busy lines (routes) and until 00:15 on the least busy line (not 23:30 as you claimed)
the night buses run all night, of course, and they traverse the city (not just McGill or the westend)… then the subway opens again for service at 05:30
trains
http://www.stcum.qc.ca/English/metro/a-heu…
buses
http://www.stm.info/english/bus/a-lig350.h…
i lived in montreal for a number of years, and was very impressed with its excellent transit system, particularly the trains. we can only dream of having such service here in HRM
after living in several other canadian cities for many years, one of the first things i noticed upon my return to Halifax was the huge car culture. people LOVE their cars/trucks here, and they drive *everywhere*, even if it’s just to the corner store to pickup milk & cigarettes. so that little deja vu turned-out to be a bitter pill for me to swallow, b/c i don’t drive (never have) and got spoiled by Montreal’s superior public transit system.
if i need to get around in halifax, i either walk or ride my bike… i can’t be bothered with the damn buses here, i can’t stand them. anyway, i better not get started on this, b/c shitty public transit is a pet peeve of mine.
Kudos for missing my point entirely, Mind Snap. A good portion of cab drivers aren’t on the road because the headaches and hassle aren’t worth the dollars. Amplify that by ten for bus drivers.
save your hard earned dollars. don’t waste it downtown.
What HRM needs is a comprehensive construction program to build local pubs within walking distance of all residential areas in such a way that no-one ever has to walk more than 10 minutes to go for a pint. Problem solved.
Province is way ahead with the NSLC stores. Wholesale prices at your convenience!
I love when people try to compare transit system in Halifax to that of Montreal or Toronto. It’s as silly as comparing the transportation system of Canada to Europe:
Area – Canada – 3.4 million square miles
Area – Europe – 3.9 million square miles
Pop – Canada – 33.7 million
Pop – Europe – 731,000,000
Canada doesn’t have the population base, even if you take away 2 million square miles, to be able to sustain a European style transit system.
Just like the population of Halifax cannot sustain a Toronto/Montreal or NYC style transit system.
But Halifax could make the buses go where people want them to. Aside from the #1 and maybe 1 or 2 other routes, I don’t know that Halifax bus routes actually make much sense.
NGF: I wish NSLC was that simple! Ever since they took the one out of Penhorn I have to bus to the liquor store… Gettin on the bus with a 12 pack, then having to wake from the bus stop to my house isn’t that easy :@
Oh on another note, I can understand that bus drivers don’t want to deal with drunk violent vomitting cuntscabs, but it really does beat paying approx $20 for a cab/drinking & driving/walking home at night.
And when you get right down to it, Metro Transit runs the buses on New Years Eve until like 2AM, and that’s probably when the MOST people go out drinking. Hypothetically speaking, you’ve probably got a few people who never go out drinking, except for on NYE.
On top of that, for the past two weeks Metro Transit has been supplying buses after both McCartney and KISS concerts, and I can promise you that more than a handful of people got their drink on…
So really, enough of the “Bus driver’s don’t want to deal with this”… The issue could be solved by having some cops on the bus, and with the added video cameras it shouldn’t be a problem. Oh and bus drivers already have the right to kick someone off if they’re being rude/violent/inappropriate/whatever.