Ok, had to take a couple trips by plane over the last couple weeks. Cost quite a bit to fly, and I know the cities I’m going to have decent transit systems, that come right to the airport. Right up to the terminal buildings. So I’m thinking, oh great Halifax has finally got a bus out to the airport. Cause paying $40 for a cab right now is really tight. $3.25 is doable. Well imagine my surprise (not really, this is Halifax we’re talking about here!) when for one, the bus shelter is one of those little tiny ones, that has a bench two people can sit on.
And of course it isn’t even by the building. Hell, you can’t even see it from the building! Halifax has the nerve to call this an international airport, but yet they put a shelter so small 2 people and their bags would be crowded. The first day I returned, this “shelter” had about 10 people all crowded around the outside of it. Thankfully it was a decent day. All this week it’s been raining. Lot’s of students etc traveling, who have to rely on affordable transportation. So their “welcome to the fair city of Halifax” is to basically say, go stand in the rain and wait for the bus. Un-fucking believable! And the other real shining aspect of this great advance in our transit system. My flight gets in at 12:30 am, and the last bus was at 12:15! Ok, downtown, movies are over, restaurants closed etc by then. So city buses it makes sense to scale back, but again folks, what part of INTERNATIONAL airport don’t they understand? Flights come and go all night. I, and a few others all had to sit there and wait till 5:30 am for the next bus!
It is these kinds of so called services that truly make me embarrassed to say where my home town is. And everyone is talking about how Halifax is supposed to be a boom town now… what a joke. And the really sad fact, is that someone in the city or transit department, who I’m sure never take the bus either, really think they deserve a pat on the back for this. Think again. And the biggest kicker, there is a huge glassed in smoking shelter, right close to the building! Message being, we care more for our cleaners that want a smoke, than we do for any traveler coming into this city. It comes down to the old saying, “show me, don’t tell me.” Well what does that show visitors to Halifax….really? —So tired of this so called city!
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2013.
Someone will correct me if I’m wrong (a lot of people on here thrive on that), but I do believe that having international flights and customs make YHZ an international airport. Aside from that, I agree that the hours serviced by the new bus aren’t that great when compared to other cities. However, those other cities are built right the fuck out to the airport itself where there’s usually some kind of industrial sector and their mass transit systems don’t usually operate at a loss.
This feels wierd saying it but….I’m with Christ.
Halifax is a boom town? Nobody told me!
That does stink though. Didn’t know the stop was so far away and tiny (it’s been a while since I’ve flown), so thanks for finding that out for me :s Hopefully these issues will be addressed sooner rather than later.
I work at the airport and the bus stop is not even a 2 minute walk from the doors at arrivals. Stop complaining for no reason. Anytime you take the bus, im pretty sure you have a little walk ahead of you!! what the hell do you want? the bus to pick you up at your door? im no fan of metro transit, but seriously…..
Oh i hear you op. I travel once every one to two weeks. By plane. And I fly Delta for a variety of reasons. It’s not that i’m opposed to flying other airlines but Delta is my airline of choice since i am flying to the USA and the cities i tend to wind up in are either Delta hubs or accessible via a Delta hub…
ANYWAY.. So yes. There is ONE flight into halifax from either DTW or LGA (that’s detroit and laguardia, where i fly.) Laguardia Delta flights arrive at 11:50 – that’s before i enter customs, mind you. So i have to find someone to pick me up, pay $60 for a FIFTEEN MINUTE drive to dartmouth, or be screwed.
The DTW flight is a little better. It gets in at about 9:20 HOWEVER that direct flight only exists in the summer and officially shuts down in october, meaning that i have to mosey through ol’ LGA again if i want to go to and from motor city off season. Which i do.
It’s absolutely ridiculous. But op, in every crisis is an opportunity. Wanna start a shuttle business together? We obviously have a corner on the market.
I will agree part of what christ said. The part that is wrong is pointing out that mass transit in other cities don’t usually operate at a loss. Transit systems in North America it is the norm for them to operate at a loss. A few years ago Halifax was the best city in Canada for recovery at 70 to 80%.
Guess you should have taken the train. The main station is right downtown, and it would have been more in your budget’s range.
The bus stop is kind of far I guess, depending on what doors you exit. There are actually doors much closer to the bus terminal and the directions inside the airport clearly direct you to those doors. Fuck Metro Tranist, though, I take the airporter. It’s a bit more expensive but it’s a way better way to get back in the city….and it stops in more places than the transit bus does.
But yeah, whoever told you Halifax was a boom town lied to your face.
Did it not occur to you and the others who waited until 5:30 am for the next bus to share a taxi????
HTR – Has the Airporter, or a new group started up again?? It went belly up awhile back and was not aroiund during my last several flights.. So I think now one is stuck with ‘Metro Idiocy’ (yeah they have tried, but it is dismal – does not even stop at hotels FFS), taxis, friends, your own car etc. And as far as a ‘short walk’ to the small shelter, that is one thing if you are a worker just walking to it after a shift, another thing if hauling some luggage – even small stuff can be weighty. Meanwhile in most ‘cities’ a person is generally close to transit of some type near the exits, and also usually in covered in areas out of rain, snow etc.
uhhh.. harper? As someone who prefers the train over the plane, let me tell you… the train is FAR more expensive. On time AND money.
Who doesn’t research transportation when they’re flying???
You should have known all this before you stepped foot on a plane…
and thus be ‘not so damn surprised’ when you arrived here.
Book a flight when the transportation’s running or suffer the consequences.
Hoist, your brain is moist, or you have never had to fly out of Dodge for sometime ….. the Airporter is no longer gracing the hotels nor is it at YHZ. Unless, that is, you know something the rest of us do not!
What Zed said.
SHITman and Hoistyhammer are just plain dumb I guess. Lets all go take an expensize train that does not run everyday, or even every second day, then hop on an airport shuttle that hasn’t existed in years.
You two don’t get out much do you? My goodness I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes and my husband almost had stroke. Keep talking out of your asses guys, the world is laughing………..at you too!!!!
Yep, my brain is moist…if it wasn’t I don’t think I’d live very long.
I fly once a year to/from ottawa. I always take the airporter. Looks like I won’t be able to do that anymore since it made it’s last run in October of 2012. Hardly several years but nice try.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/…
You know what makes me chuckle, blip? The fact that nobody on these boards likes you (even in person, those that have met you think you’re a tool) yet you keep coming back. Obviously your imaginary husband doesn’t give you enough attention, so you’ve got to go seeking it out from anonymous strangers online. Ya really need to get a life, bud.
I bet your poor husband does have to stroke. There’s no way he’s stuffing that little soft-on of his into that dried up old schnizz.
OB ..just one more of the 10,000 reasons why I don’t live or work in that sh!thole they call halifax .
signed – 65 kilometers from Halifax …& still too close !