[HD] NEW BUS ALERT - 2023 New Flyer XDE60, Preamble of TransLink Articulated Bus Service Revisions

Hello, and welcome back to the channel!
This video is several weeks late, but nonetheless we are onto our next batch of New Flyer XDE60. These additional 15 units were purchased to expand the fleet amid the January 2024 articulated service revisions. In January 2024, articulated buses were introduced onto the following routes:
2 Macdonald
323 128 Street
R6 Scott Road Rapidbus
In addition, the following two routes changed from dual artic/standard 40-foot operation to pure 40-foot bus operation:
240 Lions Gate/15th
503 Fraser Highway Express
Model: New Flyer XDE60 Hybrid-Articulated Bus
Drivetrain: Cummins ISL9 and BAE Systems HybriDrive HDS300
Capacity: 46 Seated/~120 total
=======LINKS=======
CPTDB profile:
cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Coast...
City of Vancouver lengthens bus stops on route 25:
vancouver.ca/streets-transpor...

[@jmstransit]

Have you taken a local bus in Seattle? What is the service level like with the amount of articulated buses? Have you taken a RapidRide route (RapidBus equivalent)?

[@thyssenFILMS]

infinitely better than rapidbus, i’ve tried both

[@jmstransit]

Now I’m curious how many units per kilometer network length - RapidRide has 186 buses over 122km; how long is the RapidBus network compared to the fleet of 120 units

[@jmstransit]

2) however from an amenity standpoint I’ve heard Seattle wins in that category

[@pacfilming8117]

Service on route 503 240 and 701 was dropped

[@psychonautO8743]

Hey guess what? New route 102 was launched to replace New Westminster to Victoria Hill portion to replace that 103 portion.

[@floyd_thecat]

cool stuff, excited for the 24000s

[@MarksCar-rs1nm]

1. If it was supposed to be a part of the 2021 order, why are all buses now being numbered by delivery year?
2. Why do they not put seats in the articulated separator? (like the D60LF and D60LFRs)
3. Why are 22006-22015 (aka 21021-21030) not in Surrey for the use on the R6 RapidBus?

[@brianlau7827]

As a regular 25 rider, this route is desperately in need of an upgrade to articulated busses while keeping the same service frequency it currently has or hopefully more. It's constantly overcrowded, passovers are frequent during the first 5 stops leaving UBC and along stops on Dunbar St and 16th Ave, and unreliable overall. I was pretty disappointed when I read that the 2 was getting articulated busses first over the 25, considering the 25 outranks the 2 in busiest routes among the Translink bus network.

[@magicfaithdestiny]

Absolutely! I live along Macdonald and wouldn't have ever thought that the 2 needed articulated buses, especially when the southbound bus has maybe 4 people on it past Broadway.

[@thyssenFILMS]

@@magicfaithdestiny2 defo needs artics the second you turn into downtown. i like on mackenzie, and they are exceptionally busy as soon as you turn over the bridge. the reason 25 didn’t get it first is probably because the 2 doesn’t need as many buses, and the 2023s and 2022s are still being delivered.

[@magicfaithdestiny]

@@thyssenFILMS fair enough. I rarely ever go past Broadway so I’m not too sure. Back when I worked downtown it was only busy in the evenings.

[@jmstransit]

The real test for the 2 will be in the Summertime.

[@spencer4732]

nice video! love articulated new flyer busses

[@nich-ko6si]

Hey Juan, have you ever seen an articulated bus on route 28? I’ve seen one during the beginning of the pandemic. The narrower roads around the Cascade Heights area are the test for articulated buses on the 25, and if the 60ft buses can navigate that area, then it proves that the 60ft can run on the 25.

[@nich-ko6si]

If you wish I can send you a link to a short video I have from four years ago.

[@jmstransit]

I wouldnt say it was a test; moreso a one time capacity upgrade for social distancing (assuming this was 2020).
That's also a red herring - the 25 is a really long route so one area being serviced by an artic doesn't really qualify as the entire route.
That said, I do remember an instance of an artic 25. It was a one-time RapidBus unit appearance by Burnaby due to a marathon in the UBC area.

[@nich-ko6si]

@@jmstransit Maybe the Nanaimo Station to UBC short runs could use the 60fters.

[@jmstransit]

I wouldn't say that's helpful either - it's generally really difficult and confusing to force people to transfer midway especially in the case of the 25 when you have both ends anchored by major universities.
Regardless, (well darn I should have used this as evidence) the plans to extend the bus stops are posted onto the City of Vancouver website so that further supports articulated service on the 25 becoming a reality.

[@justinm.1]

Looks like the only thing that’s different is that they added a “B” in front of their bus numbers rather than leaving it without; it was so weird to look at on the previous versions 😜

[@floyd_thecat]

good thing 23014 doesnt have one lmao

[@nich-ko6si]

@@floyd_thecatthe letters are only meant for internal system, meaning they are assigned to the Burnaby transit centre near Kitchener Street

[@cduemo]

I'm wondering what studies have been done on articulated buses versus double decker ones? Capacity, reliability etc.

[@jmstransit]

Actually a good question - I'd have a look elsewhere on youtube but other than that I don't have any record of any formal study.
I think it's more a matter of vehicle height policy (exhibition A: tree pruning). The narrative here in Canada and the US argues that (for the most part, Victoria BC and maybe OC-Transpo in Ottawa have a different case) double decker units are more suited for regional suburban service.
A particular discussion forum argued that schedules can be adjusted to account for lengthened wait times, though I would think that the dynamics of ridership on the route would have a significant role in determining passenger turnover (and thus affecting reliability).
Edit: Go see RMtransit's "Why Don't We Have More Double-Decker Buses?" piece and read some of the comments there.

[@Carbaminohemoglobin]

A major factor is the speed of loading and unloading. Assuming that both a double decker and an artic can carry the same amount of people, unloading on a double decker would slower simply due to there being only 2 doors to exit from and the fact that people would need to climb down stairs first (possibly having a line to get down stairs as well) whereas an artic has 3 doors and no one has to walk too far to exit. This is why in metro Vancouver, for example, double deckers are used mainly as express buses with very few stops and artics are used for busy corridors on rapidbus and other high-capacity routes

[@jmstransit]

there was a really heated argument years ago claiming that people riding double deckers on the 99 would naturally take take up all the seats on the upper deck but I don't buy it. It's all about alighting times and quick boarding on routes in the city.

[@canuck8228]

Did I hear the 503 is no longer an articulated route?

[@jmstransit]

no longer an articulated route (unfortunately)

[@nose10620]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@uniquerouterider1014]

Hey if you wanna do a video there was a c40lfr caught in surrey on the R1 and you can use my video if you want

[@thyssenFILMS]

the 24000s are going to be the most unreliable XDE60s EVER built, because of utilizing a double drive axle system with BAE… when it works it’ll be phenomenal, but since we’re working with BAE here, they’ll probably spend most of their time sitting in the maintenance part of the depot.

[@jmstransit]

As this may be a heated topic, please refrain from ad-hominem attacks and be mindful of logical fallacies in debate politics (Straw Man, Red Herring, Slippery Slope, etc)