Two double-decker buses to be tested by TransLink in fall
Double-decker transit buses are popular in Victoria and Seattle, and will soon be coming to the Lower Mainland.
TransLink, the regional transit authority, will test two doubledecker buses this fall to see if they are a good fit for the Metro Vancouver area.
According to a report from CEO Kevin Desmond, TransLink expects to receive the buses from manufacturer Alexander Dennis in about a month, at no charge.
The buses will be based out of the Richmond Transit Centre and piloted for two months on three highway routes: the 351 between Crescent Beach and Richmond, the 354 between White Rock and Richmond, and the 555 between Langley and Coquitlam.
“It gives the mechanics and the folks at (Coast Mountain Bus Company) the chance to drive them, kick the tires. It gives our customers a chance to experience them, get some feedback from customers,” said Desmond.
This week, TransLink has run a funny-looking test bus fitted with a frame to mimic the profile of a double-decker bus along the routes to make sure there is enough clearance for the pilot buses and that cables, power lines and tree branches won’t get in the way.
Geoff Cross, TransLink’s vicepresident of policy and planning, said the highway coach fleet is aging — many are 17 or 18 years old — and it’s time to replace them. He said the need to replace the buses has provided an opportunity to explore new options, like the doubledecker buses.
Cross said they are more comfortable than the usual highway coaches because they have more seating — 80 seats as opposed to 47. They also have lower emissions per passenger than traditional buses.
Desmond has experience with the double deckers from his time working at a transit authority in Washington state.
“The customers loved them. They absolutely loved them,” he said.
TransLink will include the cost of 32 diesel double-decker buses in its upcoming request to Metro Vancouver for federal gas tax money. Five of those buses will help expand the bus fleet and 27 will replace existing buses. TransLink is applying for a total of $123.2 million for 180 new transit vehicles, which would arrive in 2019.
In April, TransLink asked for $121 million to buy 105 new dieselelectric hybrid buses — 94 conventional and 11 articulated — 12 gaspowered community shuttles, 13 gas-powered HandyDart vehicles, four electric battery buses and an on-route charging unit, and equipment to retrofit 99 older buses to expand service in the short term. Those vehicles are slated to arrive in 2018.