Coming soon to Toronto: bendy buses
Coming soon to Toronto: bendy buses
By 2014, Torontonians should be able to enjoy their commutes from the comfort of an extra-long articulated bus. The TTC just announced it has ordered 153 of these 112-passenger buses from Quebec-based Nova Bus Corporation to replace some of the 65-passenger models currently running on busy routes (priorities include the 29 Dufferin, 7 Bathurst, 116 Morningside, 25 Don Mills, 36 Finch West and 85A Sheppard lines). Larger vehicles mean the TTC can save money by reducing the number of buses it runs, while—we hope—giving riders more elbow room. The downside: fewer buses could mean killing more time at the bus stop. [NOW Magazine]
With PRESTO, ALL doors could be used for boarding. Metrolinx hopes to have Presto on all TTC vehicles and in stations by the 2015 Pan Am Games. I would most likely implement PRESTO on the articulated routes first.
Unfortunately, there will still be people who will only board and egress through the front door ONLY, with or without PRESTO.
If there’s going to be fewer buses on the routes, how does that solve the squishing problem exactly?!?
And these buses aren’t really new; I remember when the TTC had “bendy buses” not that long ago.
Destiny, the TTC hasn’t had bendy buses since June 2003, and they were not “new” by any means. They were built in the late 80’s and were showing their age terribly by the time they were retired, scaring the TTC away from articulated buses for some time. This particular model we will be getting (the “bendy” aspect of it anyway) was only introduced a few years ago, and has since appeared on the streets of New York, Montreal, and York Region (VIVA).
If you want a preview as to what you’re going to be riding, go ride the VIVA Blue line out of Finch Terminal. The newest buses they run are pretty much the same thing that we’ll be getting soon.