VICTORIA -- The first of Victoria’s new double-decker buses will enter service on Wednesday.
BC Transit says 11 new Enviro500 buses will be rolling out onto streets in the Capital Region over the coming weeks.
The new buses feature USB ports at each of the vehicle’s 89 seats to allow passengers to charge mobile devices. The buses also feature monitors at the bottom of the stairs so passengers can view seating availability on the upper deck before climbing the stairs.
New safety features include an updated wheelchair locking system and side-mounted external lights to illuminate bus stops for passengers who are boarding and exiting the bus.
In addition to the 89 seats, the buses also have room for 15 standing passengers on the lower level, for a total passenger capacity of 104 passengers, according to the transit operator.
The buses are also equipped with full driver doors to separate drivers and passengers.
The 11 new buses will replace Victoria’s first high-capacity buses, which entered service in 2000.
The cost of the replacement project was approximately $15.5 million, with the federal and provincial governments each covering 40 per cent of the cost and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission covering the remaining 20 per cent, according to BC Transit.
