All 23 new suburban buses built by Nova Bus are now in service!

This is an exciting development as it marks the first step in renewing and expanding our long-haul, suburban bus fleet and bringing low-floor buses to our suburban routes, which are currently “high floor.” Since 1996, we’ve been transitioning our entire fleet to the more-accessible low-floor buses. Suburban buses are the last group to transition.

Because there are no front stairs when boarding, these low-floor buses mean improved accessibility for all our customers, especially the elderly, people with disabilities and parents with strollers. The windows are also larger, increasing visibility and light from inside the bus.

Compared to the Orion V buses that the Nova Bus LFS Suburban is replacing, the bus can carry more passengers and there are more stanchions. The flip-out ramp is faster to deploy compared to a lift. The step-up from the aisle to the seats is also gone.

In general, what else is different about our suburban buses? The first thing you’ll notice is there’s no rear door! That’s because on our suburban routes, there aren’t many customers getting off along the way. Most are boarding the bus and riding all the way to the terminus. There’re also luggage racks and reading lights for our customers.

Our Orion V buses have reached the end of their service life, with some buses nearing 19 years old, and are no longer available for purchase. Most of our 40-foot and 60-foot buses have a 17-year replacement life as this life cycle has proven to have the lowest overall cost and practical life for our fleet.

Later this year, we will start adding 32 double-decker buses from Alexander Dennis to our suburban bus fleet. Double the capacity of a typical suburban bus, these buses will provide a less crowded, more comfortable ride for our customers.

Together, the NovaBus LFS Suburban and Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker buses will form our expanded suburban bus fleet.