Halifax Transit reported more than 4,000 collisions in five years

A Halifax Transit bus is seen on Oct. 29, 2024. (CTV Atlantic/Joel LeBlanc)

Halifax Transit buses reported more than 4,000 collisions in five years, but only three of them were fatal, according to a report.

The report, ordered by Halifax council last November, looks at all Halifax Transit collisions from 2020 to 2024. Staff found there were 4,281 total collisions, 2,336 of which were determined to be preventable.

“Halifax Transit has been expanding service and staffing levels at a time when the municipality is also undergoing rapid growth,” the report reads. “The information in this report examines data to assist in recognizing trends in Halifax Transit related collisions, establish benchmarks for continued monitoring as well as identify risks and potential mitigating measures.

“Collisions are deemed preventable if the review determined that an Operator did not do everything reasonably possible by following policy and procedures, applying the rules of the road and using defensive driving techniques to prevent the collision, despite the potential of error on the part of others involved. Collisions deemed to be non-preventable are identified when the Operator could not have reasonably taken action to prevent the collision.”

The majority of the collisions involved buses hitting other vehicles, with the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 having more than 500 such crashes.

Collisions with pedestrians were comparatively rare, with 2021 having the highest number at 18.

Other major types of collisions involve objects and other buses.

The report says there were 54 initially reported injuries from collisions over five years. Fifteen of them were minor, 19 were moderate, 17 were major and required hospitalization, and three were fatal.

“Of the three fatal collisions, all were non-preventable, investigated by law enforcement with no charges laid,” the report reads. “These collisions included one head-on collision and two pedestrian incidents.

“Of the 54 reported collisions involving injury, 25 were deemed as preventable.”

The report says Halifax Transit’s current safety strategies include a pre-hiring screening for bus drivers that ensures they have a minimum of three years of driving experience and a clean abstract with no more than two demerit points. New operators also receive six weeks of combined classroom and on-road training.

“Further research into existing onboard collision avoidance technologies is also ongoing,” the report reads. “Currently, all buses are equipped with CCTV equipment as well as telemetry recording systems. A review has begun regarding opportunities for the effectiveness of additional equipment, including engagement with other transit properties that deploy pedestrian warning or collision avoidance technology.”

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