I was pleasently surprised to spot this vehicle sitting on 23rd Street by the Francis Morrision Library this morning. This is Saskatoon Transit bus 1007, one of three articulated buses acquired this year from Quebec's Nova Bus. These will run on the rapid transit DART routes at peak hours.
The actual markings on this bus are pretty limited, such as the small DART logo on the upper panel seen here.
Like all buses acquired in recent years this unit has a front mounted bike rack, and the racks do see some use.
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A closeup of the accordion section that connects the front and back segments.
I'm not convinced these buses will work well here. The various bus stops and bus malls were designed with a much shorter vehicle in mind, and I wonder if they won't have trouble navigating some streets and intersections. We'll have to wait until full scale service begins in September.
Meanwhile, Saskatoon Transit continues to acquire buses of the style we're more familiar with here, such as 1001, a New Flyer bus. As can be seen by the paint scheme this unit is intended for the use on "standard" routes. Prior to the acquisition of the new articulated buses New Flyer had been the sole provider of buses to Saskatoon Transit since the first low floor wheelchair accessible buses were purchased in 1995.
They've been testing the articulated busses (the Brits call them "Bendy Busses" in my neighbourhood, which is a pretty standard west-side residential neighbourhood. No problems with the cornering. I also belive that I've seen one operating around the University bus mall with no problems. I'm guessing there'll be some teething pains but with time they'll be okay.
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