Carpocalypse averted.

Metro Transit buses were pulled off the roads early Thursday morning, but commuters seem to be coping.

Although it was a little slow-going throughout HRM, most of the back-ups were relatively routine, said Const. Kathryn Willett, a spokeswoman with Halifax Regional Police.

“The two bridges did have some bottle-nose traffic, which was to be expected,” Willett said on Thursday afternoon. “The volumes did seem to be higher because of the strike, but nothing unusual.”

Andrew Comstock, who lives in Lower Sackville, works in downtown Halifax and usually takes the bus, arranged to carpool with a few others. He said the trip into the city was only about 15 minutes longer than usual.

“I rely on public transit … but I have been able to make accommodations, and business is carrying on,” he said. “If it’s a short strike, I can manage fine.”

Around 8 a.m., a streamline of people were walking over the Macdonald Bridge bundled in warm winter gear.

Elyse Moir, a student at NSCAD University, said she’ll be walking about 35 minutes from Young Street to campus in downtown Halifax.

But she considers herself lucky.

“At least I have the option to walk,” she said. “Many students who live in Dartmouth or Clayton Park do not. With midterms coming up in the next few weeks, the transit strike will be an increasing hassle for all students.”

Willett recommends leaving early and driving slowly, but be weary of accepting rides from strangers soliciting on social media and free-advertising websites like Kijiji and Craigslist.

If you decide to take your chances, make sure you get a description of the vehicle, the driver and the plate number if possible, she said.

“We haven’t received any formal complaints in relation to those ads … but don’t get into the vehicle with people that you don’t know.”