About service alerts
Service alerts notify consumers of Halifax Transit's GTFS real-time feed of current disruptions to Halifax Transit service.
When an event takes place that requires a change to the service provided by Halifax Transit (such as a motor vehicle accident, the implementation of a snow plan, planned construction, etc.) a detour is put in place within Halifax Transit's CAD/AVL (computer-aided dispatch/automated vehicle location) solution. The CAD/AVL solution then automatically inserts the detour information into the GTFS real-time feed allowing the new information to be consumed by any third-party applications that have integrated Halifax Transit's GTFS feed.
Example of a service alert
If a third-party application consumes Halifax Transit's GTFS real-time feed and supports service alerts, any routes currently affected by a change to service should have an icon indicating an active service alert.
Selecting the service alert should provide the full details of the service alert. Information included may contain: the reason for the service disruptions, the stop where the detour begins, the stop where the detour ends, the stops affected by the detour, etc.
Notifications
Some third-party applications can notify if service alerts affecting Halifax Transit service are posted. Enabling notifications for service alerts ensures that you will always have the most current, up-to-date information for planning your commute.
Please note: a list of third-party applications known to utilize Halifax Transit's GTFS feed can be found here.