The region’s first-ever articulated buses have arrived in St. Louis. These 60-foot vehicles are made of two sections that are linked by a pivoting joint and will provide seating for 54 passengers in constrast to the 40 seats available on the system’s current 40 foot buses. The buses are a cost effective way to increase capacity on St. Louis’ busiest route, the #70 Grand Line.
The #70 Grand line is approximately 10 miles long and has been St. Louis’ busiest route for decades. It currently serves more than 9,000 boardings on an average weekday. The first 5 articulated buses will begin service on the Grand Line on June 9th, with plans to have 15 articulated buses serving this route by the end of the year.
Each bus costs approximately $430,000, approximately half of the cost of a new bus.
So keep your eyes open for these exciting new buses, get back on the bus if you’ve been avoiding it due to overcrowding, and enjoy the expanded transit service available to you. Bus drivers are specially trained to drive these buses, and they will be the new and improved way to travel Grand Ave moving forward. You’re going to want to be on board!
