{"id":86173,"date":"2025-06-10T17:40:28","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T17:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/?post_type=stories&p=86173"},"modified":"2025-06-10T18:24:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T18:24:00","slug":"twice-the-ride","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/magazine\/news\/twice-the-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"Twice the Ride"},"content":{"rendered":"
Double-Decker busses will add a second floor to the Cheney commute.<\/h6>\n

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\"A
One of STA’s new doubledecker busses on display at EWU’s PUB. Photo by Chris Thompson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

T<\/span>hey\u2019re sleek<\/span>, futuristic and ready to bring the magic back to the commute from Spokane to Cheney. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u201d are seven shiny new Enviro500 double-decker busses, one of which made an introductory appearance in front of Eastern\u2019s PUB in late April. <\/span><\/p>\n

When the dedicated campus bus route debuted 55 years ago, grateful students soon dubbed the service \u201cthe Magic Bus.\u201d Over the decades its charms have not waned. These days, in fact, both the main routes serving EWU\u2014 the 66 and 6 \u2014 are often standing-room-only during peak hours. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hence the need for Enviro500s, which will join the fleet serving the university at the start of the next academic year. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Spokane Transit Authority\u2019s website, the Enviro500 \u201cis the world\u2019s best-selling three-axle double-decker bus,\u201d dozens of which are already on the road \u201cin major cities such as New York, Hong Kong and Dublin.\u201d Here in our humble Cheney home, the busses\u2019 biggest attraction may have nothing to do with their superior top-floor views: Each will seat 82 passengers, a significant boost over the capacity of even the articulated 60-foot buses that now ply the route.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the big motivators for the double-decker is the second story is full of seating,\u201d says Dainon Setzer, business development manager at STA. \u201cStanding from Spokane to Cheney or back makes for a long bus ride.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And those riders? Is he confident they\u2019ll see the magic? \u201cOh yeah,\u201d Setzer says, gesturing toward a group waiting to tour the busses\u2019 interior. \u201cWe\u2019ve got people coming out when the bus isn\u2019t even moving!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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