Double-Decker Sound Transit Buses Arrive On Eastside

BELLEVUE, WA - Two Sound Transit bus routes service Bellevue, Kirkland, and Woodinville now have double-decker buses, which may help with crowding along the busy I-405 corridor.

Commuters can board double-decker buses along the 532 and 535 routes, which connect Bellevue with Everett and Lynnwood, right now. The buses have 40 percent more capacity, and are, of course, twice as tall. Sound Transit worked with the city of Bellevue, in fact, to prune trees to make way for the taller vehicles.

"More seats and more room mean more comfort for transit riders in Bellevue," Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak said in a press release. "We appreciate Sound Transit’s efforts to increase the capacity of commuter routes, especially as our region continues to deal with congestion."

Sound Transit's double-decker buses have only served the I-5 corridor between Everett and Seattle until now. Snohomish County's Community Transit maintains the region's double-decker fleet, and received a $1.37 million federal grant last spring to expand the use of tall buses throughout the region.