Photo courtesy GRTC
Fueled by the success of its Pulse line, the GRTC Transit System is on track to add four 60-foot-long articulated buses that run on compressed natural gas to its rapid-transit fleet by 2025.
The buses will be able to accommodate 120 seated and standing passengers. They’ll also have a third door, which GRTC says will help speed boarding and make overall trip times faster.
GRTC’s 40-foot Pulse buses can be crowded at peak times, according to GRTC communication specialist Henry Bendon. Bigger, larger-capacity buses will help create a “generally more pleasant peak commute experience,” he said in an email.
“The Pulse has been overwhelmingly successful, outpacing initial estimates by thousands of riders per day and bringing new people into the system,” Bendon says. “Projects like the Western Extension (which takes the Pulse out to Parham Road in Henrico County) and North/South Pulse (which will run from Azalea Avenue in north Richmond toward Chesterfield Towne Center) have already shown the demand for rapid transit is high and the enthusiasm from riders is real — and these larger buses are being brought in to help deal with that enthusiasm.”
To accommodate the larger buses, construction at the Pulse’s 26 stations, which shouldn’t affect their operations, is set for this spring.
GRTC launched its rapid-transit Pulse line in 2018. The buses run from Rocketts Landing to the Willow Lawn shopping center. Through October of this year alone, there have been 1.45 million rides on the Pulse.
The articulated buses — which feature an accordion-like junction in the middle of the bus — will eventually replace the entire Pulse fleet. Current Pulse buses will then be cycled into regular transit service.
