Board Approves Plan to Buy 5 New Double Talls

2015 budget includes 28,000 hours of new service, 22 double deckers

Snohomish County, Wash. – The Community Transit Board of Directors today approved a $116 million operating budget for 2015 which includes funding for 28,000 hours of new service. The agency has been taking public comment the past month on its proposal to bring back Sunday and holiday bus service and adding off-peak trips on other days.

The board also took action today to purchase an additional five “Double Tall” double decker buses for commuter service to Seattle. The agency last year placed an order for 17 Double Talls to replace aging 60-foot buses. The five additional buses will expand the fleet and be used to increase capacity and trips between Snohomish County and downtown Seattle.

“By acting now and increasing the existing order from 17 to 22 buses, we are able to take delivery in 10 months instead of the usual two-year lead time,” said Community Transit CEO Emmett Heath. “One Double Tall bus replacing a 60-footer four trips a day increases our capacity by about 80 seats while taking up less space on our roads. The new Double Talls will add about 300 seats each bus every weekday.”

The original order of 17 double deckers is expected to be delivered in late spring to early summer. The additional five buses will arrive in mid-to-late summer.

Community Transit already operates 23 Double Tall buses. The amended order will bring its total fleet number to 45, the second-largest double decker fleet in the U.S.

Community Transit is responsible for providing transportation options for Snohomish County residents, including bus and paratransit service, vanpool and ridesharing options. Call Community Transit at (425) 353-7433 or (800) 562-1375 for bus information, or (888) 814-1300 for carpool or vanpool information, or go to www.communitytransit.org.