Halifax Transit riders can now pay no more than C$7.50 (US$5.29) per day or C$90 (US$63.53) per month for adult fares, after the Nova Scotia city activated fare capping in its HFXGO mobile ticketing app.

The capping mechanism works through a new Tap & Ride barcode feature. Riders who add funds to a verified HFXGO account can scan the barcode when boarding Halifax Transit buses and ferries, with the fare deducted automatically from the account balance. Riders no longer need to buy or activate individual tickets to travel.

The system tracks all trips made with the barcode and stops charging once the rider has reached the equivalent cost of a daily or monthly adult pass. Savings also apply to seniors, who self-identify in the app, and to Regional Express services.

The city set clear limits on eligibility. Fare capping applies only to HFXGO users who create and verify an account, load funds and pay via the Tap & Ride barcode. Tickets bought and activated individually in the app do not count toward the caps. Riders who continue using single tickets therefore gain no protection against paying more than the price of a pass.

The app update follows a July 14 city council decision to delay a planned fare increase. According to CTV News, council acted on a report showing that a new tap-to-pay system originally scheduled to launch on September 21 will not be ready until December. That system will let customers pay with contactless cards, mobile wallets and smart devices rather than pre-purchased tickets or account barcodes.

Until the December rollout, the HFXGO account balance and barcode remain the primary cashless option beyond traditional fare media. The interim arrangement gives regular riders a financial incentive to shift to the verified-account model, since only barcode trips accumulate toward the daily and monthly caps.

For Halifax Transit, the capping launch aligns fare revenue with actual usage: riders who travel frequently effectively convert their individual payments into passes without upfront commitment, while occasional riders continue to pay per trip. The city has not yet announced whether fare capping will carry over to the contactless payment system arriving in December.