Double Decker For Everyone

“It’s the cheapest bus on the road and B.C. Transit is hoping it also proves to be the most efficient.”

That was the opening line of an article from VicNews.com yesterday that talked about how Victoria will be testing out a new double-decker hybrid bus, the first of its kind in North America. The article also listed that BC Transit was the first to introduce double-decker buses to North America, so it is fitting that they would be the first to bring in a hybrid version. The buses cost an extra $250,000 but increase fuel efficiency by 10 – 12%.

This is a great step towards planning for sustainable communities. One of the key aspects to a community being sustainable is to have an effective public transit system, and a double-decker bus definitely helps decrease the number of cars on the roads. The fact that it is a hybrid also helps reduce the environmental footprint by decreasing green house gas emissions by 10-12% compared to a regular double decker bus.

I think that this is an innovative move by the City of Victoria which once again shows how Victoria is a leader in Canada with respect to sustainable practices. Coming from Calgary I have realized how important an effective transit system is for a big city. Although Calgary has an LRT, it does not provide access to most of the city which excludes thousands of people from using it from day to day. Also, there are no double-decker buses in Calgary, and I do not recall seeing any hybrids at all. Calgary does have a much greater population than Victoria so there are bound to be transport issues there. However I think Calgary can learn a lot from the way Victoria does things with respect to anything to do with sustainability.

Although Calgary and Victoria are a long way apart, on a National scale we are all interconnected. Therefore it is important that cities learn from each other if we want our community – our national community – to flourish and become better as a whole.

Source:
Roszan Holmen. VicNews.Com. March 12, 2009. Accessed March 13, 2009, from http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/41042079.html