Commuting Times and Options in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)

There are a several options in HRM for getting to and from work or school. Unfortunately there are no train or subway systems. However you can drive, take a bus, take a ferry, drive a bike or use a combination of these. Which method you might choose will depend on where you live. For example if you live in Dartmouth you might use the ferry on a regular basis. A ferry runs from two locations in Dartmouth to downtown Halifax. Commuters will either take a bus or drive to the ferry terminal and then take a ferry to Halifax. Ferries take about 12 minutes each way.

The bus system in HRM run by Metro Transit is not perfect but is always improving. There are express buses called Metro Link and Metro X that leave from various locations at peak times and go to downtown Halifax. There are currently Metro Link buses in Lower Sackville and Cole Harbour and Metro X buses in Fall River Hammonds Plains/Tantallon and Porter's Lake. More are planned for the near future. All locations have Park and Ride options. These buses can be faster than driving because they have only a few stops and the ability to keep a traffic light green until they go through the light. The commute time varies depending on the time of day and location but on average it is between 30 and 45 minutes.

Cost and availability of parking in Halifax might be a consideration for the means of transportation you choose. Parking is very limited and the cost can be high. If you are in the military there is limited parking at the Halifax dockyard, on a first come first served basis, and some limited off site parking on the streets. For this reason many military commuters often decide not to drive to work.

Some commute times are below. N= non peak times and P = peak times. Peak times would be 7:30-8:30 am and 4:30 - 5:30 pm.