EVERETT, Wash. — Dozens of new double decker buses will be coming to Snohomish County.
The Sound Transit board approved the purchase of 32 more buses on Thursday. Last year, Sound Transit added five double decker buses to its fleet.
The double decker buses have 81 seats compared to the 56-seat articulated buses they will replace. That’s a 30 percent increase in passenger capacity with the same number of drivers.
Sound Transit will reassign the buses they are replacing to other routes within King County.
Production of the buses is scheduled to begin in November 2016 with delivery expected to begin in April 2017.
By late 2018, Sound Transit expects to operate double decker buses on all its Snohomish County-based routes.
The double decker buses will be limited to Snohomish County routes because Community Transit has experience maintaining and operating them following the launch of their “Double Tall” service in 2011.
Sound Transit contracts with Community Transit to operate its Snohomish County-based routes.