The results are in! Thanks to your input, we’ve chosen TransLink’s new bus seats.

This past spring, two types of TransLink bus seats designs had a comfy competition at the Lonsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal. People had the chance to sit in two different seats and vote for their favourite. It was all part of TransLink’s new bus seat testing engagement with our customers.

After tallying the results, the winner is (drumroll, please) – American Seating Insight, or “Seat A” as it was commonly referred to. It received just over 70 per cent of the votes from 680 respondents.

They’ll be unveiled aboard our 14 incoming battery-electric buses late next year, and possibly be used on more down the road.

These new TransLink’s new bus seats weigh less, which actually makes a big difference when it comes to a vehicle’s operability. They’re about 10 pounds lighter than our current seats and will make our buses up to 250 pounds lighter in total.

For battery-electric buses, every pound counts; the lighter the bus, the further it can travel before requiring a recharge.

Right now, our battery-electric buses can travel between 40 and 100 kilometres on a single charge, depending on the model. Our next order of battery-electric buses from Nova Bus should be able to travel over 150 kilometres on one charge.

We’re also looking at the possibility of making this seat switch for future buses. Making buses lighter ensures our vehicles are cleaner and emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre travelled.

So a big thank you for helping make future journeys with TransLink a little more comfortable.