The Double Dutch Bus is now more like One-and-a-Half

By Roland Lara in News on Jun 22, 2006 1:22PM

Okay, let’s be grown-ups here. Leave your giggles and snorts at the door, and let’s discuss the important policy issue that’s not at all amusing:

The CTA is going to roll out its fleet of Short Buses.

WE SAID NO LAUGHING!

Come on. You’re better than that. It’s offensive, and we don’t’ approve.

On to the story:

The new 30-foot buses are going into service in Hyde Park this summer. Apparently, the short buses make it easier to maneuver Hyde Park’s narrow streets.

They’re going to be the shortest buses in the CTA’s fleet, and, we imagine, the cutest buses you ever did see. Standard CTA buses are 40 feet, and the monstrous moose-sized accordion buses are 70.

The short buses are narrower, which we wouldn’t have known if we hadn’t read the Tribune article, but they also have fewer seats, which almost made us say, “Doi.” We understand that smaller buses that have to run more frequently are are more expensive than longer buses that run less frequently: More equipment to maintain, another driver to pay, possibly even more customers standing. We'd love to know how this is fitting in with the budget crisis.

The new fleet of Short Buses is to number 45 for a price tag of $15.5 million.

The first routes to get the new Short Buses are Nos. 170 (U. Chicago-Midway), 171 (U. Chicago-Hyde Park), 172 (U. Chicago-Kenwood), 173 (U. Chicago-Lakeview Express), and 192 (University of Chicago Hospitals Express). And we take no pleasure in pointing out to our dear readers that University of Chicago students are now taking the short bus to school.