TransLink passengers in three Metro Vancouver cities will soon be able to hitch a ride on a new double-decker bus.
The transit agency says the new vehicles will be rolled out in Richmond, Delta and Surrey in October, and used for long-haul trips.
The move follows a four-month pilot that began in December 2017 to see how the buses would work for long-haul passengers.
WATCH: (Jan. 17, 2018) TransLink ordering double-decker buses
TransLink said it received overwhelmingly positive feedback from more than 600 riders to the new vehicles.
The agency says the 32 double-deckers it’s ordered are more spacious and more comfortable, with nearly twice the seats of a traditional highway coach.
READ MORE: Fleet of 32 double-decker buses to hit the streets of Metro Vancouver by 2019
They’ll also have plug-in USB charging outlets and a screen that shows lower-deck passengers if there are vacant seats on the upper deck.
The new buses will serve the 301 Newton Exchange—Richmond Brighouse Station and 620 Bridgeport—Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal routes. TransLink said the 555 Lougheed Station—Carvolth Exchange route will be added in January 2020.
READ MORE: TransLink testing two double decker buses for use in Metro Vancouver
It says an order of 25 more double-decker buses is slated to arrive by fall 2020.
Ninety per cent of funding for the double-deckers, which cost about $1 million each, is coming from the federal government through the federal gas tax, while TransLink is picking up the remaining 10 per cent.
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