Here's a summary of my bus ride downtown yesterday, a beautiful clear day with no snow delays.

I checked the schedule, #1 is on a 10-minute schedule, departing Mumford at 1:30, so arriving at my stop at about 1:36. I arrived at 1:33 and called GoTime (or whatever it's called now) to confirm the bus time. Next bus will be there in 11 minutes. Hmm, that's at 1:44, not 1:36. At 1:45, no bus, called again. Next bus in 7 minutes, followed by another in 12 minutes. So, my bus will now arrive at 1:52, okay. 1:52, no bus, oh, but finally here it comes at 1:56. As the schedule says, the #1 is on 10-minute service. What happened to the 1:36? The 1:46?

On the way home, made the call, next bus will arrive in 9 minutes. It arrived in 3, matching neither GoTime, nor the online schedule.

So, Halifax Transit managers, if you're wondering why ridership is lower than you'd like, maybe you should try to imaging the daily frustration of trying to get somewhere on time each day, using the service you provide. It isn't easy. –Often Late in Halifax

Okay enough already with the labour problems. Each week seems to bring a new low. Today it was a story in the paper about some firefighters dressed as Santa Claus not being able to give out presents.

Here's what should be done:

1) Everybody gets an increase of three-quarters of a percent each year of the contract for 4 years.
2) All unions adopt the long service award formula used by the teachers
3) The teachers pay towards their retirement health benefits in a phased in way with 3% paid the first year and increasing by 3% each year until they're the same as other public sector workers.

I'm hoping that this doesn't go on much longer. If they can't decide soon, then please send it to an arbitrator so that this can be resolved in a timely manner. Things are so toxic I'm not very optimistic that the groups themselves are going to be able to settle this. –The “Okay enough already” guy

I have enough stress from this time of year, trying to do those last minute tasks that can’t be done in advance. I don’t own a car, so I depend on Halifax Transit to get around. Hfx Transit is so f*cked up. As the best of times, I waste an hour a day making connections. This week I got on one of the buses with that asinine audio messaging system!!!!! What a total cluster F*CK!!!! It blasts out message about the upcoming stops, based on street names. If you know the street name, wouldn’t you have the f*cking intelligence to know where your stop is???? We managed for decades without it, we learned how to plan our trips. Today we have the advantage of online maps, and they now include the transit stops. Has the combined IQ of the general population sunk to the bottom of the harbour?? Have all these zombie shows on TV prepared us for the surge of braindead zombies among us???

After a day of shopping, I developed a headache and had to take a bus home. It really is a total clusterF*ck. You can’t talk to anyone with the constant bitchy interruptions, you can’t talk on your phone. I tried to force myself to relax, but the asinine computer voice pushed my headache to migraine status. When I thought of all the things that I had left to do this week, I couldn’t do it. At that moment, I thought’ F*ck it, it’s absolutely not the most wonderful time of the year. I refuse to participate in this shitty social pain in the ass called Xmas. FOREVER.


So you will not be getting gifts from me. Only a simple card with this message: I wish you Happy Holidays. Enjoy time with your friends and family. But Halifax Transit has killed the holiday spirit for me. Hfx transit has become a huge mess, and now the audio messaging has made bus travel very uncomfortable.  I have decided that I MUST get a car. From this point forward, I will be using the money used to buy all gifts, to buy and maintain a car. Not just xmas gifts, all gifts. I place full blame on management at Hfx Transit.
Merry F*CKING Xmas. —Scrooge you, Hfx Transit