When I was growing up in Seattle in the 1970s, the buses were free downtown. They called it the "Magic Carpet Zone" and you could board any bus for free downtown and not pay as long as you got off before leaving downtown. Fares were collected when you board going toward downtown and collected when you exit leaving downtown. That made the rear exit unusable heading away from downtown.
@@Thom-TRA When Downtown, the driver would open both front and back doors and people would just get on or off however they could. When heading toward downtown, everyone had to board in the front to pay the fare but they could exit-only in the back. When heading away from downtown, the back doors would not open and you had to exit the front to pay the fare.
I used to use it back in the mid 90s. Both sets would open while in the downtown zone. But once it left , you had to exit from the front and pay on the way out.
I briefly worked at an office just north of Pike Place Market back when the Free Ride Zone still existed. Although I mostly ate at various shops at and near PPM, I did take advantage of the Free Ride Zone to grab lunch at Bakeman’s and a couple of Pioneer Square restaurants on a few occasions. It was pretty handy.
I remember when I moved to Seattle in 2012 and thought the bus system was so unique here especially compared to where I came from where public transit was non existent. The busses in the city basically act like trains. They’re frequent, run late and can get you literally anywhere in the city. If you live in the city limits of Seattle you really don’t need a car. And the Double Deckers can take you to the burbs and cities like Everett & Tacoma. It’s like a clean coach bus in & out the city every day. The bus system here is unparalleled in the US!
When you said they run late, my first thought was, "(o)f course sometimes they do, but that's a good thing? Punctuality is important!" Then I realized! LOL!
Trains definitely are awesome, but buses deserved some attention. They provide a service where rail vehicles are not practical. Thanks for showing Seattle's variety.
I've lived car-free in downtown Seattle for almost two years and am ashamed to admit I've never been on a double-decker yet. Really gotta make up an excuse to go to Everett... Also I didn't know about the color-coding on our skip-stop system, thanks for pointing that out.
Been here in Seattle 7 years this month... all without a car (well, the first 3 months I was here I had one). I love taking all the forms of transit here... but I use the bus the most. I'm excited because the trolley bus line that runs by my place got removed during the pandemic, but they are bringing it back in the fall! I miss the WHIRRRR of the electric lines and the bus zooming by. I've only taken the double-deckers maybe twice... but a recent disability means I probably won't bother checking out the top level any time soon.
@@EricaGamet I live right by a trolleybus line, and I can hear the clicking of the contacts over joints in the wires, and the whirr... I would really miss it too if they took it away!
As a Torontonian, I can vouch for the fun of riding on those Alexander Dennis double decker buses! The panoramic front window on the upper deck is always a joy! The inter-regional transit operator GO Transit has a massive fleet of them so they’re very common here in Toronto!
Seattle is basically an honorary Canadian city. There’s so many similarities in Vancouver & Seattle it’s ridiculous. They just need to give us a Timmies at this point 😂
Yup! And don't miss out on the wonderful Seabus! So much fun to sit up front and watch the waves crash up onto the windows! My kids love taking it across to Lonsdale Quay. Don't hurt that there are lots of yummy things to eat when we get there too!
Double-decker buses are always a plus! So cool they have them as express routes for commuters! For me, I love that Megabus uses double-deckers for intercity routes! Trolleybuses are a great solution for bus electrification for several reasons. For hilly routes like in Seattle and San Francisco, trolleybuses are better than motorbuses as electric motors provide much higher static torque at start-up, an advantage for climbing steep hills. No battery means lower weight and lower cost, plus less resource waste! I'm amenable to BEV busses AS LONG as they are part of a greater trolleybus system, so that they can be deployed to areas where running wires isn't feasible and can connect back to the grid once they return to the wires. Trolleybuses are especially great where electricity is abundant, cheap, and renewable, such as hydroelectric. Systems in Seattle and Vancouver in Canada draw hydroelectric power from the Columbia River and other Pacific river systems! And compared to trams, they're cheaper, there's easier training as the potential operator pool for all buses is larger than trams, they're quieter, and not to mention easier traffic avoidance! Besides Seattle, Philly, and San Francisco, Dayton, Ohio also has trolleybuses! Dayton, OH has operated trolleybuses since 1933 (streetcars between 1888-1947), has 5 lines, and had a ridership of under 2 million in 2022! Impressive in a city of around 140K! The Dayton trolleybus system is the current manifestation of an electric transit service that has been operated continuously in Dayton since 1888...longer than in any other city in the US! If Dayton can do it, other cities have no excuse!
I live south of Seattle in Olympia (about a 75 minute drive) and I go to Seattle often via Sound Transit Expreess buses, light rail or train. I learned so much from this video. You have a new fan. Thank You.
Community Transit has the largest double decker fleet in the US with 97 coaches. Pierce Transit is ordering some to operate the southern commuter routes like the 594, King County Metro and CT are ordering more for the STRide S1 and S2 BRT routes (that will replace 535 and 560), and out in eastern Washington, Spokane Transit Agency is ordering a bunch for their commuter routes
Bit of history -- Seattle lent Vancouver one of its trolley busses in 1945 for testing and Vancouver decided to introduce trolley busses after the war to replace streetcars. Gradually routes were converted from "rails to rubber" over the next decade until the last streetcar route ended in 1955. This was an era when most cities in North America were removing their street railway systems. Years later that move was regretted.
The double-decker express buses are a godsend getting from Everett to Northgate Station, the current northernmost light rail station going into Seattle. I can imagine they’re just as useful riding them all the way down to too
Rider Apps like Transit have made riding the Puget Sound Transit network so much better. Certainly better than sitting in a car stuck in stop and go traffic.
Ive lived in Seattle for 10+ years and never figured out the livery scheme of KCM -- KIng County Metro, Sound Transit, and Community Transit are all excellent, with great drivers (no shade on Pierce County, I just don't go there ever.) Great video!!
5:00 nice use of graphics! 8:50 "Thank you." Yes, noticed this when I moved here: many passengers say that when getting off! And "Hello" when boarding. One more thing: bus stop posts have printed time schedules-!! It tells you when the bus arrives (and I hope they keep this in our digital age). Not only that, the bus usually DOES arrive at that time! What a concept!
Next time you come to Seattle, assuming the Lynnwood Link extension hasn’t resulted in all of the ST/CT routes being truncated, make sure to take a southbound “Double Tall” trip across the Ship Canal bridge - probably one of the best bus views in North America!
I used to love riding the double decker busses from Seattle to Everett. It used to be a cozy 1 bus experience. Now the trip is half light rail and half bus. I miss the longer double decker experience.
The biggest difference between the 400-series CT-liveried buses and the 500-series ST buses is that the ST buses tend to run all day. The 400-series bus was gonna *make* you get off at the end of its run; you could've stayed on that 510 and ended up in Everett. I used them to advantage when I had a reverse commute - out to Bellevue in the morning and into Seattle at night... You could generally tell the Pierce-Transit-run ST buses by their chrome-plated rear wheels; the CT-run buses had plain wheels. What's really fun is going multi-modal; from 4th and Jackson you can either catch CT 417, OR cross the street to King Street Station and catch Sounder (dedicated elevator from the far side of Jackson, half a block south), and get off at Mukilteo Station and then catch the _ferry_ to Whidbey Island... which has another bus system you'd like for a big reason: It's FREE. Sadly this only works during afternoon commute; outside these hours it's REALLY complicated: Light rail to Northgate, 512 or 513 bus to Lynnwood TC, and then 113 takes FOREVER to wind through the subdivisions down to the ferry dock... oh, and the Whidbey bus doesn't run on Sunday, so... *sigh* (Rail all the way to Lynnwood will be a Thing soon, but the 113... argh...)
They’re actually reworking the other community transit routes this fall after the light rail extension opens. Iirc there’s gonna be a more direct and faster route from lynnwood to the mukilteo ferry, and an express route from mountlake terrace to the Edmonds ferry
I’m gonna be honest, I only watched for the double decker bus part, as a British person i absolutely love double decker buses! Also I also dart for front seats upstairs 😂 you get the best view from there
I've lived in seattle and the greater seattle area my whole life and I love our bus system, I use it every day for my work commute. The only thing I'd ask for as an improvement is later bus service or more frequent service for some route, even though I understand why the schedule is built how it is. But I can basically the the bus to get anywhere I need to without a car which is lovely
Wow! You are a truly tireless content machine! Given how weary you were both seemingly becoming that far into your mega Amtrak loop, it is amazing how much you managed to pack in! Thanks for showing us these wonderful double deckers! Front seat up top is always a treat here in London, good to see it in the US too! Thanks again! \m/
Chicago CTA has continuing on service since the schedule is built as driver routes, however the route changes are at outer terminals and less likely to be noticed unless you happen to want to continue on.
Awesome video , I am driver at UC Davis for Unitrans,hope you can go Davis to enjoy our most fascinating style bus service 😊,with a little bit like Japan’s train style operation method(local,semi express and express). Maybe you can ride the double decker bus that I drive with 😊
I mean through running seems pretty normal but the fact they for some reason get a different route number just seemingly adds confusion. Like people who arent familiar with the services would look at it all and say "I cant go there quickly its not direct you need to change lines" and it just overcomplicates everything, rather than have one bus line going from one end of the city to another via downtown. I kinda get the downtown skip stop idea, but you probably also need good wayfinding at stops to help people transfer. Especially those who arent experts on the system. Without it I worry the thing falls apart from a user friendliness perspective.
Thankfully there is an app for looking at all the bus schedules (originally created by University of Washington students so they could stop being late that was then bought by King County Metro) as well as a trip planner app you can use, which have signs about all over bus stops and the buses too. And Google is also great at bus directions.
The buses don't run through it anymore, but there is a mile plus long tunnel (or pair of tunnels) that runs underground beneath 3rd avenue downtown that used to be shared by both buses and light rail. The novelty of riding a bus and seeing a train on the road in front of you was interesting, and I always thought the underground stations were pretty spectacular.
@@Thom-TRA My buses from the Eastside used the tunnel. The buses got bumped because they caused backups for the train. That said, Link light rail is scheduled to reach the Eastside in the next year or so.
As a UK viewer, can I just comment that, when talking about double-decker buses, London is frequently mentioned. However double-deckers are ubiquitous over here... most towns and cities operate them, as well as single-deckers on less busy routes. Anyway enjoyable and informative video as always, so thanks!
In addition, bus timetables also inform riders if the route will turn into another route. For example, the timetables on the King County Metro website for the 45 from Loyal Heights to the U district will show you that from the direction from Loyal Heights to the U district, it turns into the 75 from the U district to Northgate station (light rail). The interesting thing about the 45 and 75 is that the lines don't go in a general direction. If the 45 was assigned a general direction, I'd call it South-east bound. From the east terminus in Loyal Heights, it starts in a general eastbound direction on NW 85th Street. But once it reaches Wallingford, the general direction becomes south bound. However once reaching Green Lake it goes in a southeast direction followed by southbound once it gets to the U district on University Ave. And then it goes eastbound as it drives directly through the UW campus perimeter as it becomes 75. And the bus sign will generally turn into 75 on University Ave (The Ave) way before turning into campus. If you think 45 was a strange route, check 75 out. Once it reaches Children's Hospital going eastbound, it goes northbound BUT not directly north. It CURVES to the north. The reason for this is due to the geography of Sand Point Road which kind if curves along near puget sound and near hitting near water. Then once it turns left on NE 125th st the general direction becomes westbound towards Northgate station. Now here's the strange thing. You could literally spend 75 minutes riding from the beginning of line 45 in Loyal Heights to the end of line 75 at Northgate station. But do you remember how I told you the general direction of the 75 is a C? It's actually a backwards C. Do you know what that means? You can ride line 40 at NW 85th St and 24th Ave NW and get to Northgate station in 20 minutes. No one would ride 45 to the end and then continue on as line 75 to the end unless you really felt like touring north Seattle. And because the combination of 45 and 75 make a backwards C ir a Lizard where 45 is the body and 75 is the tail -- I know weird imagination-- you visit several light rail stations -- Roosevelt --U District Station -- Northgate station. Now you would not really have any great purpose riding line 45 in Loyal Heights unless you were to visit Golden Gardens. The 45 going towards Loyal Heights terminates where there is a trail path (mostly steps) down to Golden Gardens. And if you were to visit Seattle again, stopping by Golden Gardens is worth it. It's our so-called "Beach." But if you're taking public transit using the 45, you got to be prepared to walk down some steps, boy! The path may nit be noticeable. However where the 45 ends, you may see a park bench at the end of 85th Street. This leads to the path down the steps. The trail splits near the end of the steps. Go down to the right. The path will terminate at a road. Walk alongside tge road for 200 feet or less under the train tracks. You found Golden Gardens. The fast food place known as Little Coney should be in front of you with the main beach to the right of Little Conney. It's about a 10 minute Trek. 15 if you walk slow. I know that was a bit of a tangent i went on. But I even have you a purpose to revisit. You can even ride the light rail to Northgate and catch the 75 of you want to visit the UW and Golden Gardens. Just Golden Gardens? Take 40 from Northgate station and get off at 24 Ave NW and NW 85th Street. Then either catch 45 on 85th Street or walk 22 minutes total (11 minutes to walk down 85th Street from 24 Ave NW + another 11 minutes to walk down the steps /trail).
I was bussing from Everett to Tukwila for college from 2012-2016. There weren't any double decker buses in the fleet when I started college, just the accordion style ones. I remember when I saw and got to ride the first double decker, I think sometime in 2014 or '15. As my last year of college was happening more double deckers were added to the fleet and riding them became more common.
4 benefits of the trolley buses: Way quieter. Less noise pollution on already busy downtown streets, less emissions from exhaust, cost efficient over the life of each bus, and more torque from the electric drive system to deal with some very steep hills in the Seattle area. Before my work schedule changed, the double decker bus was a regular morning ride for me. My favorite.
Great video--very uplifting! That great front window upstairs could be called the Bus Fan Window or BFW for short, like the rail fan window (RFW) on some trains. Skip stop bus service downtown is actually fairly common in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago that have short blocks downtown. But the Seattle version seems to have some all-stop stops like elevated trains in New York (and formerly Chicago and Philadelphia). Interesting!
Not sure if you had time, but there are dedicated island stations for ST Express on I-5, proper BRT kind. There are also dedicated express exits for them to get off to the park and ride for the rest of the stops. Though the service just runs on HOV lane.
I wish I could incorporate one of the double decker busses into my commute. They’re so cool. I also like the rapid ride for obvious reasons and they connect so seamlessly with the light rail.
I took the 14/1 to and from work every day. It was always so weird to get on the 14 in the morning and get on the 1 in the evening but it was the same bus lol
@@Thom-TRA if you ever want any questions answered about what it's like to be a driver, hit me up! I'll be in a video (I can't talk too much about policies or incidents, but I can talk about my own experiences)
I got to ride the double deckers in Las Vegas back in 2010 going from the MGM Grand to downtown and I loved it. To my knowledge they just had the one service called the Deuce Bus. I could’ve taken the regular bus downtown but even after an Australian couple advised me that the regular bus was faster I still wanted to ride the Deuce bus both ways so I could enjoy the view that you described. I went at night but loved it anyway.
King County Metro also does Thru-Service outside of downtown. In the south end of the county the 183 starts at Federal Way Transit Center, winds its way down into Kent, where it stops at Kent Station (also a Sounder station) it then continues as route 153 into Renton (and the reverse is true). I also like that you can tell in what general direction a KC Metro bus is going by it's route number 0-99 stay within city limits. 100's are heading/run south of the city (aforementioned 183/153, the 177 and 193 Federal Way to Seattle commuter busses, the 182 from Federal Way to north Tacoma). 200's are on the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, etc.), 300's go north (Northgate, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace). Community Transit then continues this by having their 400 buses be Downtown Seattle to Snohomish county which keeps the theme and avoids confusion from route number overlap in the same area. Sound Transit has a version of this as well. All their routes are 500's, specifically 510+ because Pierce Transit runs the 500 and 501 from Federal Way (in King County) to Tacoma. 51X will go from some part of Seattle to Everett 522 goes more East-west north of downtown (it's the only 52X route at the moment) 53X will go from the Downtown Bellevue to Snohomish County 54X will go from Seattle to downtown Redmond via Microsoft's global HQ 55X will go from within Seattle city limits to the Eastside (Bellevue, Issaquah, or both) 56X will go through Bellevue and Renton (fun fact, the 560 which never gets within 10 miles of Pierce County is run by Pierce Transit) 57X will go through/to Federal Way (the 577 is also run by Pierce Transit despite being entirely in King County, this makes more sense though because it's just the northern portion of the 578 and supplements the Federal Way - Seattle section of the route especially at commute times) 586 (the only 58X) is an odd duck, it goes from University of Washington Seattle to Tacoma via Federal Way, previously it skipped Federal Way, but the suspension of the KC Metro 197 (Federal Way to UW) since 2021 it makes the extra stop. 59X (except 596) Downtown Seattle - Pierce County, skipping Federal Way. 596 (the oddest duck of all) - The shortest ST route and the only ST route entirely in Pierce County, it runs an 11 minute scheduled service from the farthest east "suburban" portion of Pierce County to Sumner Station (where one can transfer to the Sounder, ST 578, or a Pierce Transit local bus)
I do like when different agencies coordinate to provide a single route number system. In Chicago, CTA and Pace do that as well. In DC, every agency has its own system (and WMATA even has different systems for different jurisdictions it serves).
To answer your question from the intro: I am thinking about all the things you showed me in your previous videos. I have learned so much about public transport in the USA (and a bit about Japan as well) by watching your really well made videos! You somehow are able to make them entertaining and educational at the same time. The 40k subscribers are well earned (congrats btw!).
KCM, TransLINK, DRTA (Dayton), SEPTA, and MUNI are few systems that still use trackless trolleys. While SoundTRANSIT TransLINK, and GO in Ontario are the few systems in North America that runs double Decked Buses outside of Europe's systems, TfL and BVG in Berlin.
Thom: Welcome to a brand new Trains are Awesome video...(filmed 5-15-23) Me: Brand new?🤔 lol! Btw thanks for the post... Even though I'm an NYCT train operator, I was always a bus fan as a youngster and this video was fun to watch... L8er ☮️
Well, the video as presented is brand new. I mean, when you watch the "new" episode of your favorite show, you don't think, "This was filmed 8 months ago... it's not new." Or do you?
That front seat on the second floor, that's what trains are missing. KISSes, TwinDexxes, CityElephant... The Japanese have figured out how to do it in reverse with their Mizukaze and Sunrise Express, etc. This is the only application where I'm onboard with DMUs, just because the catenaries aren't intruding into the view.
I find it interesting how several of these special things you mention -- e.g. through-running and downtown skip-stop -- are not exclusive to the larger systems. DART First State in Delaware, where I live and am a system expert on, also has both of these. Unfortunately, we got rid of our trolleybus system some time back in the 40s.
@@Thom-TRA It may cover the whole state, but the whole state is really not that big. For comparison, King County, WA is more than double the population of the entire state of Delaware.
ah, through-running buses. My local transit agency (RIPTA in RI) have a few, honestly makes things convenient for cross-regional travel without needing to pray that I'll make a transfer.
I had something similar with flights recently. Was worried about missing a connection in ATL, turns out the plane I was already on was the one I needed to catch for my next leg.
I was there in April 2024-Not having customer service for transit available by phone on weekends was NOT good. As a tourist access 7 days a week for transit help is crucial to me. I did like the transit rides.
Yes, that's Seattle transit's big failure -- information. Even the airport light rail station doesn't have a station-agent booth. There might be ST staff walking around to assist travelers... or there might not be.
@@sammymarrco47 I agree but for me the google maps would say go NorthEast-well that is fine IF you know where north and east are but as a tourist in new city I am not the savvy--perhaps I need a compass.🧭
I came across these one bus is on two lines affairs in London last year. Google Maps said that there was a line a to a certain stop and then line be to where I wanted to go to but it also said do not get off bus. We actually changed drivers in the middle.
The only issue I have about the bus system is there are too many operators! The whole thing should just be either Sound Transit, or King County Metro. Either move light rail and commuter buses to KCM, or move all the buses to Sound Transit. More than likely should be the latter. That way there is a unified public transportation system for the entire Puget Sound area.
If you think that's too many, go to Japan sometime. Their transit is the best in the world, but a variety of companies own the buses, trains, and tracks. And yet, as long as the IC card works to get them around, it's not a problem (well, maybe navigating Shinjuku station...😁).
I think this might be why they made the new orca cards how they are. Unlike using paper transfers it’s a smooth interaction for customers between all the things. It even feels like a normal bus using experience when I went to Olympia from Seattle.
Alexander Dennis made the chassis in Dennis home town of Guildford in Surrey which is where I live. Unfortunately the factory here has closed and they are made in Scotland now. Great to see them though.
Glad you enjoyed the ride on the British built double decker buses ! They look good, but on both buses that you rode, ridership was poor, and could easily have been worked by single decker or articulated single deckers ! I guess they load well in the peak periods, and hope they are successful.
Ah, nostalgia. I lived in Bellevue WA for 2 years. Thus, when I wanted to go to downtown Seattle, I was heavily relying on Sound Transit express buses such as line 554 or line 550, which are mostly made of bendy buses. Those line were super popular. Riding was not exactly a pleasant experience due to its crowdedness, but they were undeniably useful for me. Also, when I was in Seattle area, Sound Transit lines had almost zero double deckers. I wonder why Sound Transit decided to obtain them, and why it did put them in such unpopular route😂 PS. Coloring based on the characteristics of the lines is not just King County metro thing. Seoul does it too.
Wonder how CT/ST will use the double-deckers (they tried to refer to them as the Double Tall at first roll-out because... coffee) after Link light rail opens to Lynnwood at the end of this summer.
In my city there is a commuter bus that would be useful for an urban trip but the driver is mad if you use it like that, and literally even if you 20 minutes on that it says that it is still urban area.
Every once in a while they will run a Rapid Ride vehicle on a normal route and it freaks me out for some reason... especially when the stop isn't serviced by the RR. I'm always convinced it's a trick.
When they first brought out the Sound Transit double decker buses they had a photo on their website about them. I was looking at it one day and my co-worker Ron who sat next to me was sitting in the first seat on top in the photo. I said Ron you're famous. He didn't know they had even taken the photo. SR
Thank you for a video highlighting all the great things about public transit in Seattle! 6:37 the difference between green and yellow is frequency of each route, with yellow being every 10-15 minutes and green being every 30 or “commuter” routes that only operate during specific hours in each direction. 10:45 just wondering why you got off at that stop and didn’t stay for the last one that would have taken you back to Chinatown.
Oh, Thom, I forgot to ask one question. I was mentioning Seoul, do you think you will have a chance to visit Northeast Asian countries other than Japan? If you visit South Korea and Taiwan, I think you will be surprised by how different the transport systems are with Japan.
How do they keep the homeless off? Dd buses were suggested for SF and one was even brought in for test rides but it was clear from the start that the upper deck would be a rolling hotel and drug den.
I visited London for the first time this week, and it seems that there are video cameras constantly recording the bottom and top deck of the bus. I would love to know if it's the driver that's checking this feed, or somewhere else. Although London's region doesn't seem to have that many people unhoused, even compared to my city of San Jose California
It really says a lot about your region when that‘s your first thought. As someone who grew up with double-deckers in Berlin, that question has not once come to my mind, and Berlin isn‘t a drug-free-paradise either. Quite insane.
7:00 On the one way streets do the buses stop on both sides of the street? Would be kind of brilliant if they have at least 3 lanes. Wires probably complicate that
My mom regularly rode the 560E before she retired. One of her complaints (that she acknowledged was petty) was the inconsistency of bus - style, coach, articulated, but NO double decker for her :-(
Ottawa is getting rid of its DD fleet after the current batch of Enviro500 MMCs run out their lifespan. They even retired their pre-MMC Enviro500s early.
Interesting fact: King County was originally named after William R. King, who was Vice President-Elect when the county was created. However, because he was a slaveowner and also died only 52 days into office, they decided to make MLK who the county was named after. This makes it one of only two counties (alongside Johnson County, Iowa) to be named after a black person.
Many dictionaries have both spellings listed as correct. Buses has just been in use longer and is seen as the correct form. The verb can also be spelled busses or buses (and busing/bussing). And now both look wrong because I've stared too long at them.
If you look at 3rd Avenue in Seattle digging below it you find out there was a bus tunnel underneath it now light rail if they want buses to run through it again order trolley buses this time with Pantograph just like the Siemens e Highway in Lübeck Frankfurt am Main Darmstadt. What's Seattle needs to have are battery electric buses that can actually charge from an overhead wire used by the trolleybus. If they cannot charge from The Wire go to a charging station. Impressive job and for Seattle Washington I really need to copy the German speaking World in Europe where you have the urban Transit operator covered by a Regional Tariff Association examples of the following Berlin Verkehrsverbund Berlin Brandenburg Frankfurt Rheinmain Verkehrsverbund Dresden Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe Bochum Hagen Duisburg Verkehrsverbund Rhein Ruhr VRR. VRR has a unique case is that RE19 operates on Hollandstrecke Duisburg/Bochum Utrecht. Zürich Züricher Verkehrsverbund ZVV Wien🇦🇹 Verkehrsverbund Ost Region Innsbruck Tiroler Verkehrsverbund
I was born in Seattle and always ride the bus when I go back. Community transit is a very strange company. If you wake up in the early morning hours you can see Community Transit buses. They recently sold 6 of their old double deck buses. I wanted to buy one but are still broke. Everett, WA has their own bus lines separate from the county like how they do it in LA and Orange County. Sound transit is much safer than King County Metro. Why? I took one of the most dangerous King County bus lines and it quadrupled my fear just because it goes down a street where it is very dangerous for single Asian guys. All trolleybuses are run by King County Metro. Double deck buses are run by Sound Transit and Community Transit. Downtown Seattle also used to have a fare free zone but somehow it proved pointless
Even "bad neighborhoods" need buses - imagine you're trying to get a good job to lift yourself out of the cycle, but hey, the bus entity (paid for with your taxes) avoids where you live because scary people also live there. Cycle perpetuated. I live on a bus line that continues south through the city to Burien. I'm sure people from Queen Anne or the eastside would consider it "scary," but the vast majority are hard-working folks doing low-wage jobs downtown but have to live further south to afford rent. There are also people with no jobs, occasionally maybe a drug or drinking problem, getting around to whatever they're doing, but they're usually keeping to themselves - get a few of those on this bus line and someone from Wallingford would probably consider the bus line itself to be "scary." But it's not, it's just a city, and it's been that way since I came here in the '80s.
I wonder if they still for commute hours that you don't pay getting on the bus you pay to get off and when you're in the downtown area it's free to get on and free to get off to keep the traffic moving
@@Thom-TRA MIght have to shell out for a premium seat on an excursion to do that. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic has two former Cal Zephyr short domes they run for extra fare, but not as outrageous as a lot of excursions. Not as far or as fast as the "good old days", but you get a taste of it.
Only 4 cities in US with trolley buses? I thought it was Seattle San Francisco Dayton Philadephia Boston (dual mode) I suppose you could add Daly City as SF buses cross the city line. Anyway, which one was lost?
you missed the joy of riding a double decker flying past freeway traffic in the HOV lanes!
3rd Ave being Bus Only during the day is also a huge part of the recipe.
When I was growing up in Seattle in the 1970s, the buses were free downtown. They called it the "Magic Carpet Zone" and you could board any bus for free downtown and not pay as long as you got off before leaving downtown. Fares were collected when you board going toward downtown and collected when you exit leaving downtown. That made the rear exit unusable heading away from downtown.
Fascinating. So then would people board in the back when they had to exit in the front?
@@Thom-TRA When Downtown, the driver would open both front and back doors and people would just get on or off however they could. When heading toward downtown, everyone had to board in the front to pay the fare but they could exit-only in the back. When heading away from downtown, the back doors would not open and you had to exit the front to pay the fare.
I used to use it back in the mid 90s. Both sets would open while in the downtown zone. But once it left , you had to exit from the front and pay on the way out.
That ended in September 2012. I got to experience it for one very confusing month after I moved here.
I briefly worked at an office just north of Pike Place Market back when the Free Ride Zone still existed. Although I mostly ate at various shops at and near PPM, I did take advantage of the Free Ride Zone to grab lunch at Bakeman’s and a couple of Pioneer Square restaurants on a few occasions. It was pretty handy.
I remember when I moved to Seattle in 2012 and thought the bus system was so unique here especially compared to where I came from where public transit was non existent. The busses in the city basically act like trains. They’re frequent, run late and can get you literally anywhere in the city. If you live in the city limits of Seattle you really don’t need a car. And the Double Deckers can take you to the burbs and cities like Everett & Tacoma. It’s like a clean coach bus in & out the city every day. The bus system here is unparalleled in the US!
When you said they run late, my first thought was, "(o)f course sometimes they do, but that's a good thing? Punctuality is important!" Then I realized! LOL!
@@unconventionalideas5683 A simple little “r” at the end could have prevented this moment 😂
Trains definitely are awesome, but buses deserved some attention. They provide a service where rail vehicles are not practical. Thanks for showing Seattle's variety.
I've lived car-free in downtown Seattle for almost two years and am ashamed to admit I've never been on a double-decker yet. Really gotta make up an excuse to go to Everett... Also I didn't know about the color-coding on our skip-stop system, thanks for pointing that out.
Proud of you for living car-free!
You could also try going to Lynnwood before the light rail opens there, it’s less time consuming while also still a chance to enjoy the experience.
Everett has some fun stuff downtown! The Funko HQ is there as well as the Museum of Flight. Lynnwood is also a good area for food and shopping!
Been here in Seattle 7 years this month... all without a car (well, the first 3 months I was here I had one). I love taking all the forms of transit here... but I use the bus the most. I'm excited because the trolley bus line that runs by my place got removed during the pandemic, but they are bringing it back in the fall! I miss the WHIRRRR of the electric lines and the bus zooming by. I've only taken the double-deckers maybe twice... but a recent disability means I probably won't bother checking out the top level any time soon.
@@EricaGamet
I live right by a trolleybus line, and I can hear the clicking of the contacts over joints in the wires, and the whirr... I would really miss it too if they took it away!
As a Torontonian, I can vouch for the fun of riding on those Alexander Dennis double decker buses! The panoramic front window on the upper deck is always a joy! The inter-regional transit operator GO Transit has a massive fleet of them so they’re very common here in Toronto!
I’m looking forward to finally returning to Toronto this summer
@@Thom-TRA OMG UR COMING HERE IN TORONTO???? YESSSS OMG I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOUR VIDS ON HOW YOU LIKE IT HERE
Seattle is basically an honorary Canadian city. There’s so many similarities in Vancouver & Seattle it’s ridiculous. They just need to give us a Timmies at this point 😂
They also have them in Victoria and I love them there too.
I live in Seattle and ride all of the transit options every week. Still I learned a few things I did not know. Great video.
So glad to hear this!
YAYYY YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DOUBLE DECKER BUSSES!!
Of course! Not doing so would be a crime
@@Thom-TRA exactlyyyy finally someone else gets it!
Come up to Vancouver, Thom; we have trolleybuses, double-deckers, and many other cool transit options!
I’d love to someday!
Yup! And don't miss out on the wonderful Seabus! So much fun to sit up front and watch the waves crash up onto the windows! My kids love taking it across to Lonsdale Quay. Don't hurt that there are lots of yummy things to eat when we get there too!
Double-decker buses are always a plus! So cool they have them as express routes for commuters! For me, I love that Megabus uses double-deckers for intercity routes! Trolleybuses are a great solution for bus electrification for several reasons. For hilly routes like in Seattle and San Francisco, trolleybuses are better than motorbuses as electric motors provide much higher static torque at start-up, an advantage for climbing steep hills. No battery means lower weight and lower cost, plus less resource waste! I'm amenable to BEV busses AS LONG as they are part of a greater trolleybus system, so that they can be deployed to areas where running wires isn't feasible and can connect back to the grid once they return to the wires. Trolleybuses are especially great where electricity is abundant, cheap, and renewable, such as hydroelectric. Systems in Seattle and Vancouver in Canada draw hydroelectric power from the Columbia River and other Pacific river systems! And compared to trams, they're cheaper, there's easier training as the potential operator pool for all buses is larger than trams, they're quieter, and not to mention easier traffic avoidance!
Besides Seattle, Philly, and San Francisco, Dayton, Ohio also has trolleybuses! Dayton, OH has operated trolleybuses since 1933 (streetcars between 1888-1947), has 5 lines, and had a ridership of under 2 million in 2022! Impressive in a city of around 140K! The Dayton trolleybus system is the current manifestation of an electric transit service that has been operated continuously in Dayton since 1888...longer than in any other city in the US! If Dayton can do it, other cities have no excuse!
I really do have to go to Dayton at some point
Woah! I live in the Seattle area and had no idea about the colors for the skip stop system 😮
I live south of Seattle in Olympia (about a 75 minute drive) and I go to Seattle often via Sound Transit Expreess buses, light rail or train. I learned so much from this video. You have a new fan.
Thank You.
Thank you!! You live in a beautiful area
Community Transit has the largest double decker fleet in the US with 97 coaches. Pierce Transit is ordering some to operate the southern commuter routes like the 594, King County Metro and CT are ordering more for the STRide S1 and S2 BRT routes (that will replace 535 and 560), and out in eastern Washington, Spokane Transit Agency is ordering a bunch for their commuter routes
Wow, I can’t believe they have 97! Or that even Spokane is ordering them.
It’s about time Pierce Transit got themselves double decker buses for the Seattle routes, those always get so packed during rush hour.
i love our train and transit niche community
Do you mean locally or broadly?
@@Thom-TRA broadly i just enjoy all transit youtubers and i really enjoy your style of content specifically keep it up :D
@@osamabendolphin765 aww appreciate that!
Bit of history -- Seattle lent Vancouver one of its trolley busses in 1945 for testing and Vancouver decided to introduce trolley busses after the war to replace streetcars. Gradually routes were converted from "rails to rubber" over the next decade until the last streetcar route ended in 1955. This was an era when most cities in North America were removing their street railway systems. Years later that move was regretted.
The double-decker express buses are a godsend getting from Everett to Northgate Station, the current northernmost light rail station going into Seattle. I can imagine they’re just as useful riding them all the way down to too
Yes! The 510 from Everett to Seattle is usually faster than the Sounder train! At least the 7:15 one.
Rider Apps like Transit have made riding the Puget Sound Transit network so much better. Certainly better than sitting in a car stuck in stop and go traffic.
Ive lived in Seattle for 10+ years and never figured out the livery scheme of KCM -- KIng County Metro, Sound Transit, and Community Transit are all excellent, with great drivers (no shade on Pierce County, I just don't go there ever.) Great video!!
@iocat True that. It's not just green and blue, but teal-! Someone must know why (it's not the bus bases- you see all the colors parked there.)
5:00 nice use of graphics! 8:50 "Thank you." Yes, noticed this when I moved here: many passengers say that when getting off! And "Hello" when boarding. One more thing: bus stop posts have printed time schedules-!! It tells you when the bus arrives (and I hope they keep this in our digital age). Not only that, the bus usually DOES arrive at that time! What a concept!
The bus stops in DC have schedules too and it’s very helpful
Next time you come to Seattle, assuming the Lynnwood Link extension hasn’t resulted in all of the ST/CT routes being truncated, make sure to take a southbound “Double Tall” trip across the Ship Canal bridge - probably one of the best bus views in North America!
Thanks for the recommendation!
I used to love riding the double decker busses from Seattle to Everett. It used to be a cozy 1 bus experience. Now the trip is half light rail and half bus. I miss the longer double decker experience.
Transfer at Northgate?
You can still ride the 510 directly between Seattle and Everett. It just only runs at peak hours.
The biggest difference between the 400-series CT-liveried buses and the 500-series ST buses is that the ST buses tend to run all day. The 400-series bus was gonna *make* you get off at the end of its run; you could've stayed on that 510 and ended up in Everett. I used them to advantage when I had a reverse commute - out to Bellevue in the morning and into Seattle at night...
You could generally tell the Pierce-Transit-run ST buses by their chrome-plated rear wheels; the CT-run buses had plain wheels.
What's really fun is going multi-modal; from 4th and Jackson you can either catch CT 417, OR cross the street to King Street Station and catch Sounder (dedicated elevator from the far side of Jackson, half a block south), and get off at Mukilteo Station and then catch the _ferry_ to Whidbey Island... which has another bus system you'd like for a big reason: It's FREE.
Sadly this only works during afternoon commute; outside these hours it's REALLY complicated: Light rail to Northgate, 512 or 513 bus to Lynnwood TC, and then 113 takes FOREVER to wind through the subdivisions down to the ferry dock... oh, and the Whidbey bus doesn't run on Sunday, so... *sigh*
(Rail all the way to Lynnwood will be a Thing soon, but the 113... argh...)
They’re actually reworking the other community transit routes this fall after the light rail extension opens. Iirc there’s gonna be a more direct and faster route from lynnwood to the mukilteo ferry, and an express route from mountlake terrace to the Edmonds ferry
I’m gonna be honest, I only watched for the double decker bus part, as a British person i absolutely love double decker buses! Also I also dart for front seats upstairs 😂 you get the best view from there
I hope we never ride the same bus, otherwise we’ll have to fight for the front row!
Great 👍🏿 video, born and raised Seattleite and I love our public transportation. So much quicker and cheaper when you’re downtown.
Love Seattle! Can’t wait to go again
I've lived in seattle and the greater seattle area my whole life and I love our bus system, I use it every day for my work commute. The only thing I'd ask for as an improvement is later bus service or more frequent service for some route, even though I understand why the schedule is built how it is. But I can basically the the bus to get anywhere I need to without a car which is lovely
That is awesome!
Wow! You are a truly tireless content machine! Given how weary you were both seemingly becoming that far into your mega Amtrak loop, it is amazing how much you managed to pack in! Thanks for showing us these wonderful double deckers! Front seat up top is always a treat here in London, good to see it in the US too! Thanks again! \m/
I had to wake up pretty early for this one!
Chicago CTA has continuing on service since the schedule is built as driver routes, however the route changes are at outer terminals and less likely to be noticed unless you happen to want to continue on.
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Seattle and liked our buses
I did!
Awesome video , I am driver at UC Davis for Unitrans,hope you can go Davis to enjoy our most fascinating style bus service 😊,with a little bit like Japan’s train style operation method(local,semi express and express). Maybe you can ride the double decker bus that I drive with 😊
I really, really want to visit Davis someday!
Don’t forget we also have very very old London style double decker.
It's pretty awesome seeing a double-decker with a bike rack!
I mean through running seems pretty normal but the fact they for some reason get a different route number just seemingly adds confusion. Like people who arent familiar with the services would look at it all and say "I cant go there quickly its not direct you need to change lines" and it just overcomplicates everything, rather than have one bus line going from one end of the city to another via downtown.
I kinda get the downtown skip stop idea, but you probably also need good wayfinding at stops to help people transfer. Especially those who arent experts on the system. Without it I worry the thing falls apart from a user friendliness perspective.
Thankfully there is an app for looking at all the bus schedules (originally created by University of Washington students so they could stop being late that was then bought by King County Metro) as well as a trip planner app you can use, which have signs about all over bus stops and the buses too. And Google is also great at bus directions.
The buses don't run through it anymore, but there is a mile plus long tunnel (or pair of tunnels) that runs underground beneath 3rd avenue downtown that used to be shared by both buses and light rail. The novelty of riding a bus and seeing a train on the road in front of you was interesting, and I always thought the underground stations were pretty spectacular.
I’m sad they discontinued it
@@Thom-TRA My buses from the Eastside used the tunnel. The buses got bumped because they caused backups for the train. That said, Link light rail is scheduled to reach the Eastside in the next year or so.
Hey I was visiting Seattle at that time from Minneapolis/Saint Paul! I was really impressed with the express buses and I would love more of them here!
Thanking the bus driver is very Seattlite of you
As a UK viewer, can I just comment that, when talking about double-decker buses, London is frequently mentioned. However double-deckers are ubiquitous over here... most towns and cities operate them, as well as single-deckers on less busy routes. Anyway enjoyable and informative video as always, so thanks!
Well, yes, London just happens to be the most well-known example of course
@@Thom-TRA Indeed!
In addition, bus timetables also inform riders if the route will turn into another route.
For example, the timetables on the King County Metro website for the 45 from Loyal Heights to the U district will show you that from the direction from Loyal Heights to the U district, it turns into the 75 from the U district to Northgate station (light rail).
The interesting thing about the 45 and 75 is that the lines don't go in a general direction. If the 45 was assigned a general direction, I'd call it South-east bound. From the east terminus in Loyal Heights, it starts in a general eastbound direction on NW 85th Street. But once it reaches Wallingford, the general direction becomes south bound. However once reaching Green Lake it goes in a southeast direction followed by southbound once it gets to the U district on University Ave. And then it goes eastbound as it drives directly through the UW campus perimeter as it becomes 75. And the bus sign will generally turn into 75 on University Ave (The Ave) way before turning into campus.
If you think 45 was a strange route, check 75 out. Once it reaches Children's Hospital going eastbound, it goes northbound BUT not directly north. It CURVES to the north. The reason for this is due to the geography of Sand Point Road which kind if curves along near puget sound and near hitting near water. Then once it turns left on NE 125th st the general direction becomes westbound towards Northgate station.
Now here's the strange thing. You could literally spend 75 minutes riding from the beginning of line 45 in Loyal Heights to the end of line 75 at Northgate station.
But do you remember how I told you the general direction of the 75 is a C? It's actually a backwards C.
Do you know what that means? You can ride line 40 at NW 85th St and 24th Ave NW and get to Northgate station in 20 minutes. No one would ride 45 to the end and then continue on as line 75 to the end unless you really felt like touring north Seattle.
And because the combination of 45 and 75 make a backwards C ir a Lizard where 45 is the body and 75 is the tail -- I know weird imagination-- you visit several light rail stations
-- Roosevelt
--U District Station
-- Northgate station.
Now you would not really have any great purpose riding line 45 in Loyal Heights unless you were to visit Golden Gardens.
The 45 going towards Loyal Heights terminates where there is a trail path (mostly steps) down to Golden Gardens. And if you were to visit Seattle again, stopping by Golden Gardens is worth it. It's our so-called "Beach." But if you're taking public transit using the 45, you got to be prepared to walk down some steps, boy! The path may nit be noticeable. However where the 45 ends, you may see a park bench at the end of 85th Street. This leads to the path down the steps. The trail splits near the end of the steps. Go down to the right. The path will terminate at a road. Walk alongside tge road for 200 feet or less under the train tracks. You found Golden Gardens. The fast food place known as Little Coney should be in front of you with the main beach to the right of Little Conney. It's about a 10 minute Trek. 15 if you walk slow.
I know that was a bit of a tangent i went on. But I even have you a purpose to revisit. You can even ride the light rail to Northgate and catch the 75 of you want to visit the UW and Golden Gardens. Just Golden Gardens? Take 40 from Northgate station and get off at 24 Ave NW and NW 85th Street. Then either catch 45 on 85th Street or walk 22 minutes total (11 minutes to walk down 85th Street from 24 Ave NW + another 11 minutes to walk down the steps /trail).
Double deck buses are awesome.
Put those legs away!
Another video unsupervised by Lyndsey???
Brilliant video sir!
Informative and entertaining as usual. Thanks Thom!
Thanks!
If my memory serves me correctly, they have double deck buses in Victoria, BC.
I'm a Seattle native. Those double deck buses are cool. Hopefully you took the ride up to Everett and back. Nice comfortable ride.
I took the train to Everett (and Chicago)
I was bussing from Everett to Tukwila for college from 2012-2016. There weren't any double decker buses in the fleet when I started college, just the accordion style ones. I remember when I saw and got to ride the first double decker, I think sometime in 2014 or '15.
As my last year of college was happening more double deckers were added to the fleet and riding them became more common.
It’s always fun to follow developments like that when you’re a regular commuter
4 benefits of the trolley buses: Way quieter. Less noise pollution on already busy downtown streets, less emissions from exhaust, cost efficient over the life of each bus, and more torque from the electric drive system to deal with some very steep hills in the Seattle area. Before my work schedule changed, the double decker bus was a regular morning ride for me. My favorite.
Thanks for listing them!
Great video--very uplifting! That great front window upstairs could be called the Bus Fan Window or BFW for short, like the rail fan window (RFW) on some trains.
Skip stop bus service downtown is actually fairly common in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago that have short blocks downtown. But the Seattle version seems to have some all-stop stops like elevated trains in New York (and formerly Chicago and Philadelphia). Interesting!
I’m trying to remember where Chicago has skip-stop buses in the loop
@@Thom-TRA I think I remember them on Michigan Avenue. Maybe I'm wrong?
Not sure if you had time, but there are dedicated island stations for ST Express on I-5, proper BRT kind. There are also dedicated express exits for them to get off to the park and ride for the rest of the stops. Though the service just runs on HOV lane.
Love the graphics in this one!
Thanks!
Those double-decker buses are just awesome!!! Thanks for this informative and interesting video!!!
I wish I could incorporate one of the double decker busses into my commute. They’re so cool. I also like the rapid ride for obvious reasons and they connect so seamlessly with the light rail.
I took the 14/1 to and from work every day. It was always so weird to get on the 14 in the morning and get on the 1 in the evening but it was the same bus lol
@ 9:00
BRO THATS ME DRIVING
Seriously? That’s so cool!
@@Thom-TRA how was the ride?? Smooth and comfortable?
@@kb470 of course!
@@Thom-TRA if you ever want any questions answered about what it's like to be a driver, hit me up! I'll be in a video (I can't talk too much about policies or incidents, but I can talk about my own experiences)
Here I was excited I saw my street, but you saw YOU! 😂
I got to ride the double deckers in Las Vegas back in 2010 going from the MGM Grand to downtown and I loved it. To my knowledge they just had the one service called the Deuce Bus. I could’ve taken the regular bus downtown but even after an Australian couple advised me that the regular bus was faster I still wanted to ride the Deuce bus both ways so I could enjoy the view that you described. I went at night but loved it anyway.
Deuce is also a very funny name for a bus service
Well, "deuce" is two on a die or on a playing card, and the Deuce takes you to many casinos...
@@hermanhuang9048 but it also means poop
Riding the double decker buses is something I want to do too when I visit Seattle.
It’s a must!
King County Metro also does Thru-Service outside of downtown. In the south end of the county the 183 starts at Federal Way Transit Center, winds its way down into Kent, where it stops at Kent Station (also a Sounder station) it then continues as route 153 into Renton (and the reverse is true).
I also like that you can tell in what general direction a KC Metro bus is going by it's route number
0-99 stay within city limits.
100's are heading/run south of the city (aforementioned 183/153, the 177 and 193 Federal Way to Seattle commuter busses, the 182 from Federal Way to north Tacoma).
200's are on the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, etc.),
300's go north (Northgate, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace).
Community Transit then continues this by having their 400 buses be Downtown Seattle to Snohomish county which keeps the theme and avoids confusion from route number overlap in the same area.
Sound Transit has a version of this as well. All their routes are 500's, specifically 510+ because Pierce Transit runs the 500 and 501 from Federal Way (in King County) to Tacoma.
51X will go from some part of Seattle to Everett
522 goes more East-west north of downtown (it's the only 52X route at the moment)
53X will go from the Downtown Bellevue to Snohomish County
54X will go from Seattle to downtown Redmond via Microsoft's global HQ
55X will go from within Seattle city limits to the Eastside (Bellevue, Issaquah, or both)
56X will go through Bellevue and Renton (fun fact, the 560 which never gets within 10 miles of Pierce County is run by Pierce Transit)
57X will go through/to Federal Way (the 577 is also run by Pierce Transit despite being entirely in King County, this makes more sense though because it's just the northern portion of the 578 and supplements the Federal Way - Seattle section of the route especially at commute times)
586 (the only 58X) is an odd duck, it goes from University of Washington Seattle to Tacoma via Federal Way, previously it skipped Federal Way, but the suspension of the KC Metro 197 (Federal Way to UW) since 2021 it makes the extra stop.
59X (except 596) Downtown Seattle - Pierce County, skipping Federal Way.
596 (the oddest duck of all) - The shortest ST route and the only ST route entirely in Pierce County, it runs an 11 minute scheduled service from the farthest east "suburban" portion of Pierce County to Sumner Station (where one can transfer to the Sounder, ST 578, or a Pierce Transit local bus)
I do like when different agencies coordinate to provide a single route number system. In Chicago, CTA and Pace do that as well. In DC, every agency has its own system (and WMATA even has different systems for different jurisdictions it serves).
To answer your question from the intro: I am thinking about all the things you showed me in your previous videos. I have learned so much about public transport in the USA (and a bit about Japan as well) by watching your really well made videos! You somehow are able to make them entertaining and educational at the same time. The 40k subscribers are well earned (congrats btw!).
This comment made my day! Thank you so much
KCM, TransLINK, DRTA (Dayton), SEPTA, and MUNI are few systems that still use trackless trolleys. While SoundTRANSIT TransLINK, and GO in Ontario are the few systems in North America that runs double Decked Buses outside of Europe's systems, TfL and BVG in Berlin.
Makes Seattle such a cool place because they have both!
Thom: Welcome to a brand new Trains are Awesome video...(filmed 5-15-23)
Me: Brand new?🤔 lol!
Btw thanks for the post...
Even though I'm an NYCT train operator, I was always a bus fan as a youngster and this video was fun to watch...
L8er ☮️
“Brand-new to you.” Fixed it 😂
Well, the video as presented is brand new. I mean, when you watch the "new" episode of your favorite show, you don't think, "This was filmed 8 months ago... it's not new." Or do you?
everything you upload is very interesting
Appreciate it!
I live here and still learned a lot about the buses from this video. I knew about part 3 but not about parts 1 or 2
That’s awesome!
That front seat on the second floor, that's what trains are missing. KISSes, TwinDexxes, CityElephant... The Japanese have figured out how to do it in reverse with their Mizukaze and Sunrise Express, etc.
This is the only application where I'm onboard with DMUs, just because the catenaries aren't intruding into the view.
Check out the German Baureihe 670!
I find it interesting how several of these special things you mention -- e.g. through-running and downtown skip-stop -- are not exclusive to the larger systems. DART First State in Delaware, where I live and am a system expert on, also has both of these. Unfortunately, we got rid of our trolleybus system some time back in the 40s.
Isn’t DART First State pretty big though? Since it covers the whole state
@@Thom-TRA It may cover the whole state, but the whole state is really not that big. For comparison, King County, WA is more than double the population of the entire state of Delaware.
ah, through-running buses. My local transit agency (RIPTA in RI) have a few, honestly makes things convenient for cross-regional travel without needing to pray that I'll make a transfer.
I had something similar with flights recently. Was worried about missing a connection in ATL, turns out the plane I was already on was the one I needed to catch for my next leg.
I've been pointing at the screen like I'm Leonardo DiCaprio in that one meme. "I RECOGNIZE THAT PLACE!"
GO transit uses double decker buses as does Ottawa-Carlton transit.
Thank you for making this!
You’re welcome!
What's interesting is a guy riding an electric unicycle at 4:36.
I was there in April 2024-Not having customer service for transit available by phone on weekends was NOT good. As a tourist access 7 days a week for transit help is crucial to me. I did like the transit rides.
j use ur brain and figure it out 👍
@@me-it9jn ok goody a troll
I find the transit app and google maps are useful
Yes, that's Seattle transit's big failure -- information. Even the airport light rail station doesn't have a station-agent booth. There might be ST staff walking around to assist travelers... or there might not be.
@@sammymarrco47 I agree but for me the google maps would say go NorthEast-well that is fine IF you know where north and east are but as a tourist in new city I am not the savvy--perhaps I need a compass.🧭
GREAT VIDEO AND GREAT CITY
Thank you and agreed
I came across these one bus is on two lines affairs in London last year. Google Maps said that there was a line a to a certain stop and then line be to where I wanted to go to but it also said do not get off bus. We actually changed drivers in the middle.
Well at least the driver got to stretch their legs!
I use Skagit Transit (skat) to commute in county. They also have 2 bus routes out of county.
The only issue I have about the bus system is there are too many operators! The whole thing should just be either Sound Transit, or King County Metro. Either move light rail and commuter buses to KCM, or move all the buses to Sound Transit. More than likely should be the latter. That way there is a unified public transportation system for the entire Puget Sound area.
Why does that matter? They all use the same payment card and the same stops so really there is no issue for passengers
The sound transit buses are operated by king county metro, to my understanding both have the same operator pool
If you think that's too many, go to Japan sometime. Their transit is the best in the world, but a variety of companies own the buses, trains, and tracks. And yet, as long as the IC card works to get them around, it's not a problem (well, maybe navigating Shinjuku station...😁).
I think this might be why they made the new orca cards how they are. Unlike using paper transfers it’s a smooth interaction for customers between all the things. It even feels like a normal bus using experience when I went to Olympia from Seattle.
Ok Thom, seen enough of your videos. Time to ride along for real.
You should!
Mega bus nerd here! Love seeing the ADL Enviro 500 buses built in the UK
Alexander Dennis made the chassis in Dennis home town of Guildford in Surrey which is where I live. Unfortunately the factory here has closed and they are made in Scotland now. Great to see them though.
That’s too bad they closed!
Great video
Glad you enjoyed the ride on the British built double decker buses ! They look good, but on both buses that you rode, ridership was poor, and could easily have been worked by single decker or articulated single deckers ! I guess they load well in the peak periods, and hope they are successful.
I’m sure most people had gotten off earlier, I really just rode the last 3 or 4 stops
Ah, nostalgia. I lived in Bellevue WA for 2 years. Thus, when I wanted to go to downtown Seattle, I was heavily relying on Sound Transit express buses such as line 554 or line 550, which are mostly made of bendy buses. Those line were super popular. Riding was not exactly a pleasant experience due to its crowdedness, but they were undeniably useful for me.
Also, when I was in Seattle area, Sound Transit lines had almost zero double deckers. I wonder why Sound Transit decided to obtain them, and why it did put them in such unpopular route😂
PS. Coloring based on the characteristics of the lines is not just King County metro thing. Seoul does it too.
Community transit owns the fleet of double deck buses so they must have a reason for acquiring them. But that’s why they all head north.
Wonder how CT/ST will use the double-deckers (they tried to refer to them as the Double Tall at first roll-out because... coffee) after Link light rail opens to Lynnwood at the end of this summer.
I’m sure they’ll find other routes for them
In my city there is a commuter bus that would be useful for an urban trip but the driver is mad if you use it like that, and literally even if you 20 minutes on that it says that it is still urban area.
That’s so dumb of them
Every once in a while they will run a Rapid Ride vehicle on a normal route and it freaks me out for some reason... especially when the stop isn't serviced by the RR. I'm always convinced it's a trick.
I know the feeling!
When they first brought out the Sound Transit double decker buses they had a photo on their website about them. I was looking at it one day and my co-worker Ron who sat next to me was sitting in the first seat on top in the photo. I said Ron you're famous. He didn't know they had even taken the photo. SR
That’s so funny
Thank you for a video highlighting all the great things about public transit in Seattle!
6:37 the difference between green and yellow is frequency of each route, with yellow being every 10-15 minutes and green being every 30 or “commuter” routes that only operate during specific hours in each direction.
10:45 just wondering why you got off at that stop and didn’t stay for the last one that would have taken you back to Chinatown.
6:37 thanks for the clarification!
10:45 because I had no reason to go back to Chinatown?
I enjoyed the video👍👍
Oh, Thom, I forgot to ask one question. I was mentioning Seoul, do you think you will have a chance to visit Northeast Asian countries other than Japan? If you visit South Korea and Taiwan, I think you will be surprised by how different the transport systems are with Japan.
I’ve been to both but not in a long time. I’d love to go again someday.
Nice!
Thanks Bubba!
How do they keep the homeless off? Dd buses were suggested for SF and one was even brought in for test rides but it was clear from the start that the upper deck would be a rolling hotel and drug den.
I visited London for the first time this week, and it seems that there are video cameras constantly recording the bottom and top deck of the bus. I would love to know if it's the driver that's checking this feed, or somewhere else. Although London's region doesn't seem to have that many people unhoused, even compared to my city of San Jose California
It really says a lot about your region when that‘s your first thought. As someone who grew up with double-deckers in Berlin, that question has not once come to my mind, and Berlin isn‘t a drug-free-paradise either. Quite insane.
7:00 On the one way streets do the buses stop on both sides of the street? Would be kind of brilliant if they have at least 3 lanes. Wires probably complicate that
They only have doors on their right side so the stops are only on that side.
My mom regularly rode the 560E before she retired. One of her complaints (that she acknowledged was petty) was the inconsistency of bus - style, coach, articulated, but NO double decker for her :-(
It’s just the 560
@@realquadmoo she did not ride it in the other direction
@@BirbarianHomeGuard oh!
Ottawa is getting rid of its DD fleet after the current batch of Enviro500 MMCs run out their lifespan. They even retired their pre-MMC Enviro500s early.
Interesting fact: King County was originally named after William R. King, who was Vice President-Elect when the county was created. However, because he was a slaveowner and also died only 52 days into office, they decided to make MLK who the county was named after. This makes it one of only two counties (alongside Johnson County, Iowa) to be named after a black person.
Now I’m curious who Johnson County is named after!
my damn brain just stopped trying to keep up with all these routes and colors 😂
Oh good! You got to see the jail!
What jail?
@@Thom-TRA When you get off at 5th and James on that Sound Transit bus, the jail is right across the street.
Remember, kids: Buses is the plural of a single bus. Busses is a verb, meaning the act of transporting on a bus.
Yep. Drives me insane how many people write “busses” as a noun
Many dictionaries have both spellings listed as correct. Buses has just been in use longer and is seen as the correct form. The verb can also be spelled busses or buses (and busing/bussing). And now both look wrong because I've stared too long at them.
Y'all will be lucky to have tires after the Anunnaki arrive...
If you look at 3rd Avenue in Seattle digging below it you find out there was a bus tunnel underneath it now light rail if they want buses to run through it again order trolley buses this time with Pantograph just like the Siemens e Highway in Lübeck Frankfurt am Main Darmstadt. What's Seattle needs to have are battery electric buses that can actually charge from an overhead wire used by the trolleybus. If they cannot charge from The Wire go to a charging station. Impressive job and for Seattle Washington I really need to copy the German speaking World in Europe where you have the urban Transit operator covered by a Regional Tariff Association examples of the following Berlin Verkehrsverbund Berlin Brandenburg Frankfurt Rheinmain Verkehrsverbund Dresden Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe Bochum Hagen Duisburg Verkehrsverbund Rhein Ruhr VRR. VRR has a unique case is that RE19 operates on Hollandstrecke Duisburg/Bochum Utrecht.
Zürich Züricher Verkehrsverbund ZVV Wien🇦🇹 Verkehrsverbund Ost Region Innsbruck Tiroler Verkehrsverbund
Do a video about the ferries in Seattle
Seattle busses, I think, barely serves 1/3 of its population. It is spotty and can’t survive without cars outside the core city areas
I was born in Seattle and always ride the bus when I go back. Community transit is a very strange company. If you wake up in the early morning hours you can see Community Transit buses. They recently sold 6 of their old double deck buses. I wanted to buy one but are still broke. Everett, WA has their own bus lines separate from the county like how they do it in LA and Orange County. Sound transit is much safer than King County Metro. Why? I took one of the most dangerous King County bus lines and it quadrupled my fear just because it goes down a street where it is very dangerous for single Asian guys. All trolleybuses are run by King County Metro. Double deck buses are run by Sound Transit and Community Transit. Downtown Seattle also used to have a fare free zone but somehow it proved pointless
Even "bad neighborhoods" need buses - imagine you're trying to get a good job to lift yourself out of the cycle, but hey, the bus entity (paid for with your taxes) avoids where you live because scary people also live there. Cycle perpetuated. I live on a bus line that continues south through the city to Burien. I'm sure people from Queen Anne or the eastside would consider it "scary," but the vast majority are hard-working folks doing low-wage jobs downtown but have to live further south to afford rent. There are also people with no jobs, occasionally maybe a drug or drinking problem, getting around to whatever they're doing, but they're usually keeping to themselves - get a few of those on this bus line and someone from Wallingford would probably consider the bus line itself to be "scary." But it's not, it's just a city, and it's been that way since I came here in the '80s.
I wonder if they still for commute hours that you don't pay getting on the bus you pay to get off and when you're in the downtown area it's free to get on and free to get off to keep the traffic moving
No, I believe they changed that several years ago. Someone in the comments said that was back in the 70s.
Like riding in the front seat of a Budd short dome car.
An experience I hope someday I’ll still be able to gain
@@Thom-TRA MIght have to shell out for a premium seat on an excursion to do that. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic has two former Cal Zephyr short domes they run for extra fare, but not as outrageous as a lot of excursions. Not as far or as fast as the "good old days", but you get a taste of it.
Only 4 cities in US with trolley buses? I thought it was
Seattle
San Francisco
Dayton
Philadephia
Boston (dual mode)
I suppose you could add Daly City as SF buses cross the city line.
Anyway, which one was lost?
Boston got rid of theirs a while back