Sound Transit expands double-decker buses to deal with overcrowding

Sound Transit has introduced double-decker buses on express routes on the I-405 corridor to help with overcrowded rides.

RELATED: Sound Transit touts 2018 ridership growth
RELATED: Lawmaker eyes cheaper car tabs, Sound Transit reform

The double-decker buses will operate on routes 532 and 535, serving Everett, Lynnwood, Bothell and Bellevue, and will have more than 40-percent more seating than the 60-foot buses they replaced, Sound Transit said.

Sound Transit worked with cities along the 1-405 corridor to help with tree pruning needed to allow the new buses to operate on city streets.

“More seats and more room mean more comfort for transit riders in Bellevue,” Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak said in a news release. “We appreciate Sound Transit’s efforts to increase the capacity of commuter routes, especially as our region continues to deal with congestion.”

The double-decker buses are not new to Sound Transit, however. The company began operating the buses on Snohomish County-based routes in 2014.

In 2018, Sound Transit increased its fleet of double-decker buses to replace standard buses on the I-5 corridor between Everett and Seattle.

Sound Transit said all express routes in Snohomish County will now use double-decker buses on their busiest trips.

“Double-decker buses have made it possible for more Snohomish County commuters to get out of their cars and enjoy the views on their way into and out of downtown Seattle,” Paul Roberts, Everett council member, Sound Transit Board vice chair and chair of the board’s Rider Experience and Operations committee, said in a news release.

“Expanding double-decker service along the I-405 corridor will similarly improve the commutes for riders on crowded routes in this heavily congested area,” Roberts said.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest