CityBus of Greater Lafayette is updating its fleet of vehicles in the next few months.
Board members approved a resolution to purchase three busses for $9,500 each. Those were purchased from Minneapolis and are previously used.
General Manager Marty Sennett says the busses are “articulated,” meaning they come in two parts and bend in the middle. He says the new 60 foot busses can carry more passengers.
"We can get over 100 people on that bus, easily, versus a 40 foot bus. You're lucky to get 90 on there. That would be considered a full load. Sometimes we can get 100.”
Sennett expects to replace older busses in the fleet with the newer models by early March. Those taken out of service will be sold to recoup some of the cost of the new vehicles.
Board members also discussed results of the annual CityBus passenger satisfaction survey. From data collected in November, 80% of riders claimed to be satisfied overall with the transit service. Sennett is encouraged by the survey’s results, but admits there is still room for improvement.
"We want riders to know when they get on the bus, they're going to feel secure knowing they're going to complete their trips without any problems. And we really heavily on our driver, as the point person, to give that information.”
More than 90% of the 640 respondents indicated they were using CityBus to get to school or work.