A Closer Look At The Double-Decker Buses
On Friday evening I posted an entry to let people know of the MTA’s photo/press opportunity this morning to announce a 35 day test run of double-decker buses in passenger service . April Dembosky of the New York Times’ City Room blog brings us more on today’s proceedings:
New York City Transit officials unveiled a new behemoth double-decker bus today that will cruise city streets in a 30-day trial run. Not since 1953 have the two-story vehicles carried nontourist passengers.
The 13-foot-tall, 45-foot-long, 81-seat bus will alternate service on local and express bus routes: BxM3 from Yonkers to Manhattan, the X17J between Staten Island and Manhattan, the M15 limited on First and Second Avenues, and possibly the M5 along Fifth Avenue (if the tree pruning along the bus lane goes well).
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to talk with the driver and passengers to gauge how the bus handles in city traffic and how customers react.
“This is not just a show,” Howard H. Roberts Jr., president of New York City Transit, said at a news conference on Monday. “It’s not a movement to titillate the public.”
The agency, a unit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is considering bringing back the double-decker bus in light of increased ridership and the mounting cost of gas, said Elliot G. Sander, director and chief executive of the M.T.A.
Click here for the complete report.
I noticed one of the routes being used on the test is the M5. The route is not heavily used & would seem to be a waste as far as test use is concerned. I would think they would want to test it out on routes with decent ridership to get a real gauge as to their effectiveness & potential full time use throughout the city.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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