New Transit Bus Review

picture yoinked from wikipedia

So I hopped on a transit bus, which is apparently a new transit bus New Flyer is testing out. The following are my immediate reaction.

• First, the bus was late. Not horribly late, but still, who knows if it was the bus or the driver.
• It has seats that LOOK like they should be more comfortable, but they're really less comfortable somehow. Like the worst chairs in class you could find in junior high school bad. Sure they're "padded" seemingly, with a piece of carboard wedged between the carpet exterior, is what it felt like. Not impressed.
• Has a skylight in the back seat. Which is neat, but a vampires tend to prefer the back seat and that's somewhat cruel.
• The bus was called the Xcelsior 900. I guess Stan Lee named it?
• Instead of the thing you pull down to signal your stop (driver alert pull cords?), or many little push buttons to signal your stop, they have brought back those yellow wires that they used to have in order to open the doors *and replaced with the yellow tape. not only that, but if you have no idea whats going on, you can't find a button to press instead. This bus was not designed for passengers.
• You know that yellow tape for the back doors you have to press that everyone hates and most don't know how to use and that never works? Well, they improved it by having a voice call out at every stop "Press yellow tape to get off the bus". Yes, that's how New Flyer handles feedback. Everyone on the planet hates the yellow tape that they replaced the yellow wire with? Bring back both, and make them even more annoying. EVERY STOP. I'm sure they could turn it off, but why make a bus ride enjoyable? Wheres the sense in that?
  
• Bus wasn't air conditioned. I mean it probably will be if the city buys some, Katz did a good job getting a bunch of air conditioned buses on the roads here, but still it was a bit warm in there.
• Fluorescent lights are everywhere now. Because they're "better for the environment" (really its probably a wash, as there are many negative environmental attributes to fluorescent lights) Probably cheaper in the long run though.
• Visually it looks like you're in the shuttle of a really crappy spaceship. So I guess that's a plus. In fact, they seemed to have focused more on aesthetics than actual comfort. Visually its nice to look at, but like many of the seats at the MTS Centre... not designed for people taller than 5'10"

Well there you have it. That's my opinion.