The future of public transportation in Eugene and Springfield made its debut at Eugene Station on Thursday morning in the form of a 60-foot green-and-white bus.
Lane Transit District unveiled the first Emerald Express bus, one in a fleet of six that will be used as part of LTD’s new bus rapid transit system, scheduled to begin operating Jan. 14.
The Emerald Express, known as the EmX, will transport passengers between Eugene Station, in downtown Eugene, and Springfield Station, in downtown Springfield, stopping at eight stations in between that are located primarily along Franklin Boulevard.
The buses are about 20 feet longer than the average LTD bus and run on hybrid-electric propulsion. EmX buses also differ from LTD buses by offering more seats and a total capacity for more than 100 people, who will board through wider doors on both sides of the bus.
The buses don’t have bike racks, so space is provided in the back of the bus for bicycles. Space in front of the bus is provided for wheelchair-users.
Dave Kleger, a member of the Accessible Transportation Committee and a former LTD Board of Directors member, said the EmX ride was very smooth for him. But minor adjustments and details still needed to be worked out in order to accommodate disabled and wheelchair-using riders, said Kleger, who has been involved with the project since its beginning.
Kleger said LTD still needed time “to make sure we’ve got it all together and we can keep it together.”
The buses are 20 percent more fuel efficient, with brakes lasting 50 percent longer and reduced maintenance and operating costs, said LTD Board of Directors President Gerry Gaydos.
“We all have to remember that while this first leg of bus rapid transit won’t change the world, it will start showing us the true promise of bus rapid transit,” Gaydos said.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, who drove the EmX bus into the station, said the bus rapid transit system was a “step-up in the growth and the livability of the cities of Eugene and Springfield and the whole metropolitan area.”
LTD partnered with the city of Cleveland, which has ordered about 20 buses, on the project.
The buses, which cost about $960,000, were built by New Flyer Industries, Inc.,, the leading bus manufacturer in North America that built the hybrid-electric fleet of busses in Seattle.
Ross Watson, regional sales manager for New Flyer, said the EmX buses are a new design concept created specifically for the project.
Based on the European system of bus rapid transit, the project has attracted the interest of several groups and cities, he said.
“We have a lot to learn from this and a lot to benefit from it,” Watson said.
Although the EmX won’t start until January, residents can expect to see the EmX buses on the road in November and December, as LTD tests the transit system and trains the drivers on how to operate the buses, said LTD General Manager Mark Pangborn.
LTD is also working on plans to expand EmX service to the Gateway and RiverBend areas in Springfield. Called the Pioneer Parkway Corridor, the expansion is expected to open by 2009 or 2010.
Plans for the project have been approved by the Springfield City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners, and the LTD Board will vote on the plans on Nov. 15, said LTD spokesman Andy Vobora.
LTD also submitted an application for federal funding for the Pioneer Parkway project and should hear about approval next year, he said.
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New bus rolls into town
Daily Emerald
November 9, 2006
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