GO plans double-deckers for highway travel
14 buses likely to run on Hwy. 407/403
Safe, even at high speeds, B.C. Transit says
Jun. 10, 2006. 01:00 AM
CHRISTOPHER MAUGHAN
STAFF REPORTER

Transit riders in the GTA may soon enjoy a touch of British class.

There may not be a Piccadilly Circus popping up in Brampton, but GO Transit is working on a plan to bring double-deckers to one stretch of highway.

"It's really cool, you'll get such a better view," said Tran Sung as he waited for his ride at the Union Station bus terminal. When he was told about the reclining seats on the upper floor, Sung grinned and said, "That's even cooler."

GO Transit hopes to introduce 14 of the buses along the Hwy. 407/403 bus rapid transit corridor between Unionville and Oakville by 2008.

Daily ridership on these routes is expected to grow by 2,000 per year and getting more people on fewer buses cuts costs. Double-deckers can carry 80 people versus 57 on regular buses. Yesterday the GO board told staff to begin talking with the bus builder, Alexander Dennis of the United Kingdom.

"When we tested it on Yonge St., people really liked it, so it'll be interesting to see how it does on roadways," said Bill Fisch, a member of the GO Transit board of directors.

But trundling around the streets of London is a far cry from whizzing along a highway.

At least one GO Transit rider agreed and wondered if they wouldn't be better suited to city streets, just like the double-decker sightseeing buses that tote tourists around Toronto.

"In the city, maybe it's a good idea, but not on the 407," said Jenny Cohen. "I'll have a great view of the traffic."

In B.C., the provincial transit system has been using double-decker buses since 2001.

Wendal Milne, a B.C. Transit spokesman, said the buses were perfectly safe, even at high speeds. "They actually sit better on curves than the conventional buses," he said.

To accommodate the vehicle's height, B.C. Transit had to adjust lampposts and trim trees. And eventually they had to order buses that were 5 centimetres shorter.

In Ontario, they will only be run on roadways with high overpasses.

But Milne warned the buses could run into problems on winter ice. "They would take a while to get going, so we had to make some adjustments," he said.

Allan Robinson, director of Equipment Development with GO Transit, said the buses will undergo rigorous testing in the United States over the next three months.

GO Transit CEO Gary McNeil wouldn't say how much the buses will cost. But 14 double-decker buses can carry 1,120 people, which is the equivalent of using 20 standard GO buses. A regular GO bus costs about $500,000.

The buses seem to have found favour with drivers. "I'd rather have 40 or 50 people above me sitting than 8 or 10 angry ones standing," said Maureen Dankn. "And I have a feeling that the really rowdy passengers will all be upstairs and the calm ones will be downstairs, so I won't even know."

Of course, Dankn would be able to keep tabs on those rowdy passengers with a TV screen connected to a camera that will show her what's going on above. Built-in GPS systems will ensure that the buses don't stray from their routes.

Those same systems will also warn drivers about nearby obstacles, which is important if you're driving a bus that's more than four metres high.


-the buses are ordered and will be in service late 2007
- they will also be used on other routes as well