I currently live on the second floor of a building on 7th Ave. in Park Slope. Although the B67 doesn’t run when I want to, it runs often enough to make its presence known throughout the day. It noisly pulls up, sometimes idling at the traffic light, sometimes slowing down to make a stop, and it is loud. With a new generation of buses, though, the MTA hopes to solve that problem.
In late August, Transit announced a pilot program featuring turbine hybrid buses These DesignLine vehicles are both environmentally friendly and very quiet. At the time, Transit had planned a 90-day trial with a decision to order more of these buses coming shortly after the test runs wrapped up, and right now, three of these buses are in service in Brooklyn and Mahattan.
No decision has yet been reached to order 87 more of these buses at a cost of $559,000 per vehicle, but as the MTA gears up to invest in a four-year, $1.96 billion effort to replace 2500 old buses, the DesignLine vehicles are receiving their fair share of praise. Michael Grynbaum spoke to those who have ridden the DesignLine buses, and in general, the people approve. The drivers noted the smoother acceleration, and the passengers were appreciative of the quieter ride. Now if only the city would do something about the painfully slow crosstown trips.