NDP aims to make commute quicker, more affordable

Nova Scotia’s NDP plans to make ferries free and provide gas tax relief, making commutes more efficient and more affordable. 

Leader Claudia Chender announced the party’s plans on Monday outside the Halifax Forum. Chender said the NDP, if elected, plans on making Halifax ferries free, which she said would save the average ferry user $1,000 a year. Chender also said removing the fare would help ease congestion on Halifax bridges, making commutes more efficient. 

Chender said the NDP would also put more funding into the public transit system to provide people with more commute options.  

“We need a functional network of transit for our province,” she said. “One that actually works for all Nova Scotians.”  

The NDP plans to provide “sustainable funding” for municipality transit systems across the province, including the HRM rapid transit strategy. Chender didn’t specify how much funding that would be. The strategy already includes four bus rapid transit lines and three new ferry routes. In 2023-24, HRM spent nearly $69 million on public transit.  

Chender said improved public transit would allow Nova Scotians to make more affordable options for their commute, options they don’t currently have due to the province’s infrastructure. 

“Here in HRM, people cannot rely on transit to get them where they need to go when they need to be there,” she said.  

Chender also recognized the transit system does not accommodate all of the needs of residents in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and rural municipalities. She says the NDP plans to improve systems across the province, but did not specify how they would improve rural transit.  

Temporary gas tax holiday

Chender says an NDP government would begin work on these developments immediately. In the meantime, Chender says she understands people will continue to rely on their vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. She says the NDP would implement what she calls a gas tax holiday, temporarily eliminating the provincial tax of 15.5 cents per litre on gas.  

She says cutting tax on gas will save the average driver more than $11 every time they fill their tank and about $500 a year.  

“New Democrats are committed to making your commute easier, whether you walk, drive, or take transit,” she said. “While we work towards a more efficient, connected province, our plan will save you time and money, no matter how you get to where you need to be.”