Celebrating a Win in Halifax Regional Municipality

This fall, thousands of young people across the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) will once again have access to free public transit through the Student Transit Pass Program. Students in Grades 7 through 12 will be able to travel throughout the region on Halifax Transit buses, ferries, and Access-A-Bus for the 2026–27 school year.

Up until about a week ago, transportation for these thousands of youths remained up in the air. In late February, the Nova Scotia provincial government announced they would be cutting funding for the Student Transit Pass Program. The response was swift, and it was passionate. As 17-year-old Teddie wrote, “Teenagers today face enormous pressure - mentally, emotionally, and socially. When something as simple as a free bus pass can help build confidence, independence, and opportunity, it should not be taken away.”

Teddie’s sentiments were echoed across the region – by peers, parents, educators and others. On September 4 we celebrated alongside the HRM when it was announced the program was saved. 

At Get on the Bus, we were proud to play a small role in helping amplify the community voices who spoke up for the pass program. We created letter-writing tools and civic engagement opportunities, shared research and evidence, encouraged young people to participate, and made it easier for residents to communicate directly with decision-makers about the value they were seeing in their own community.

But the real story was never about our campaign. The story is the collective voice behind it – a community saying, "We have built something important here." And while we didn’t get the cuts reversed, dedicated supporters found a way to keep the program moving.

For 2026–27, a new combination of partners is involved. Halifax Regional Municipality is funding passes for most eligible Grade 7–12 students, including homeschooled students and students attending private schools. The Nova Scotia Department of Opportunities and Social Development is supporting more than 1,700 young people connected to Employment Support and Income Assistance, while the Halifax Regional Centre for Education is funding passes for students at five schools where public transit is more practical than school buses.

It is a different arrangement. But perhaps that is part of what makes it worth celebrating. Rather than allowing complexity to become the end of the conversation, partners found a way forward.

To everyone at Halifax Regional Municipality and Halifax Transit, the Province of Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Centre for Education, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, and the many organizations and individuals who have contributed to this work over the years: thank you.

And to the students, parents, educators, and community members who raised their voices when the program's future was uncertain: thank you for reminding all of us why these investments matter.

This is bigger than a bus pass. The HRM program is one of Canada's largest and most established youth transit programs. Saving it is not only good news for Halifax's young people and their families. It is good news for communities across Canada that are watching, learning, and asking what might be possible for their own youth.