Macpasses currently cost HHB about $21 each, and the new ones will cost $1.50. The stickers will also be much cheaper for the bridge operators. The tender says the Macpass readers must have 99.95 per cent accuracy. Macdonald said HHB sometimes receives complaints from drivers about getting stuck at a toll booth that won’t read their Macpass, and the new technology should reduce that problem. It won’t be possible to remove the new stickers without damaging the technology, but Macdonald said users shouldn’t be worried about that, as a single account can have multiple Macpasses - all at no charge. The current plastic Macpasses come with a detachable mounting system that allows users to transfer the passes between different vehicles. It’s also safer for customers, she added, because it would reduce the need for multiple lane changes across traffic. “It is a more efficient way to collect tolls, and it is a much safer way for our staff,” she said of cash-free systems. Toll booths that accept cash will remain in place while HHB considers other options. “We have to do this anyway and if we’re going electronic, this fits with that direction,” Macdonald said in an interview.įor now, HHB has put out a tender for toll-readers that would be compatible with existing Macpasses and the future sticker versions. The Macpass update will lay the groundwork for going entirely cash-free at the toll booths, although HHB spokesperson Alison Macdonald said that change is still tentative and would be at least a couple of years away.

Versions of the Macpass have been in use for the Macdonald and Mackay bridges since 1998 and the latest technology was installed in 2007 - technology that’s now reaching the end of its productive life. In 2011, cash tolls were increased from 75 cents to $1, while the MacPass went from 60 cents to 70 cents.Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) is planning to phase out the small windshield-mounted device that lets commuters pay their bridge tolls electronically to replace them with stickers. This is the first toll increase since 2012, when the MacPass toll went from 70 cents to 80 cents in relation to the Big Lift. The board noted Halifax Harbour Bridges has planned for a second 25 cent toll increase in April 2026, but said that would be subject to a decision made by the board in the future.

'The board is satisfied that the requested toll increase is required to cover capital expenditures for both the MacKay and Macdonald bridges and that the timing of the proposed initial increase is appropriate,' the UARB said in its written decision. In June, the UARB heard from several people with Halifax Harbour Bridges, who said the toll increase is enough to keep the commission out of the negatives. The bridge commission is looking at offering several payment options, in addition to the MacPass, such as reloadable payment cards for those who don’t have a debit or credit card. The estimated cost for Halifax Harbour Bridges’ capital projects over the next 10 years is more than $280 million. It includes concrete, steel and paint repairs and the replacements of approach span bearings for the Macdonald Bridge, which wasn’t included in the Big Lift and a “scoping study and preliminary design for the replacement of the MacKay Bridge.” The commission also claimed the increase is required to fund its 10-year capital, rehabilitation and maintenance plan “related to borrowings to ensure the bridges are well maintained and operational for the safety and convenience of the travelling public.” In its application, Halifax Harbour Bridges highlighted the need for a toll increase as the bridges and other infrastructure continue to age. There will also be a 25 per cent increase per axle for commercial vehicles using cash or a MacPass, but there will be no changes for buses. 3, 2022, rates will increase from $1 to $1.25 for cash customers, while those with a MacPass will see a rate increase from 80 cents to $1. On Monday, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board approved Halifax Harbour Bridges' application to increase toll fees. Drivers will have to pay more to cross the Macdonald and MacKay bridges next year.

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