Strathcona County Transit - rising above the normal commute !
August 25, 2010
A double-decker bus will become a regular sight on Sherwood Park and Edmonton streets in mid-September. Strathcona County Transit is leasing a double-decker bus as a pilot to test whether it is suitable for its commuter services between Sherwood Park and Edmonton. The year-long pilot will determine how passengers and operators feel about this new type of bus. The bus’ performance will be tested in a variety of ways, including its handling in extreme weather, capacity and comfort.
Strathcona County Transit is exploring different high-capacity bus types to carry more passengers on the high-demand commuter routes for best cost-effectiveness and efficiency. The double-decker is one option. A decision whether to purchase these buses will be made after thorough testing on our roads, and based on driver and passenger feedback.
“The County is keen to see how the double-decker bus will perform on the commuter routes,” said Mayor Cathy Olesen. “If both the public and operations’ response is favourable, we look forward to using it as a viable solution for the County’s high-capacity bussing needs.”
Working in conjunction with the City of Edmonton, Strathcona County Transit has tested all routes where the bus is intended to travel. The double-decker at no point will come in contact with any structure or tree on these routes.
The double-decker bus is a fully accessible, low-floor transit bus that features high-backed seats that are very suitable for intermunicipal transit. It can comfortably seat 66 passengers, with capacity for a further 18 passengers to stand. The option to increase seating to maximize capacity is also available.
Strathcona County will be the first municipality to have a double-decker bus in Alberta. The leased bus is an Alexander Dennis Enviro 500 bus. BC Transit first introduced it to North America in 1999. Alexander Dennis has over 300 double-decker buses operating in North America, from Nevada to Toronto. In Canada, double-deckers operate in British Columbia, Ontario and Québec, and have proven performance in winter and extreme weather driving conditions.
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Contact: Mayor Cathy Olesen, 780-464-8000
Last updated: Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Page ID: 6553