Winnipeg, MB - To improve service to the public by helping to avoid pass-ups and overcrowding, Winnipeg Transit's first articulated buses have arrived and will be in service on City streets in the coming weeks.
Winnipeg Transit purchased 20 pre-owned, 60-foot articulated buses from New Flyer Industries at less than 10 per cent of their new cost of $625,000. The negotiated purchase price of $53,000 (plus PST) per vehicle included delivery to Winnipeg and approximately $11,500 per bus of refurbishment to be undertaken by New Flyer Industries.
An articulated bus is a single-deck designed vehicle used in public transportation which comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint. They are also commonly referred to as tandem or stretch buses.
An articulated bus can carry over 40 per cent more passengers than a regular bus; most Winnipeg Transit buses seat 38 people while articulated buses seat 54. This additional capacity will allow Transit to provide improved levels of service during peak periods with fewer operators and buses than would be possible using regular 40-foot buses. Overall, this will result in lower costs and fuel consumption per passenger.
Renewed growth in Transit demand has steadily consumed the current Transit system’s capacity to the point where pass-ups and overcrowding have become a frequent occurrence. The articulated buses will be dispatched during weekday peak periods to augment existing service and alleviate overcrowding and pass-ups. Operating articulated buses for seven hours each weekday would relieve many instances of peak period overcrowding on several of the City’s most heavily used routes.