Twice the Ride

Double-Decker busses will add a second floor to the Cheney commute.

They’re sleek, futuristic and ready to bring the magic back to the commute from Spokane to Cheney.

“They” are seven shiny new Enviro500 double-decker busses, one of which made an introductory appearance in front of Eastern’s PUB in late April.

When the dedicated campus bus route debuted 55 years ago, grateful students soon dubbed the service “the Magic Bus.” Over the decades its charms have not waned. These days, in fact, both the main routes serving EWU— the 66 and 6 — are often standing-room-only during peak hours.

Hence the need for Enviro500s, which will join the fleet serving the university at the start of the next academic year.

According to the Spokane Transit Authority’s website, the Enviro500 “is the world’s best-selling three-axle double-decker bus,” dozens of which are already on the road “in major cities such as New York, Hong Kong and Dublin.” Here in our humble Cheney home, the busses’ 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. 

“One of the big motivators for the double-decker is the second story is full of seating,” says Dainon Setzer, business development manager at STA. “Standing from Spokane to Cheney or back makes for a long bus ride.”

And those riders? Is he confident they’ll see the magic? “Oh yeah,” Setzer says, gesturing toward a group waiting to tour the busses’ interior. “We’ve got people coming out when the bus isn’t even moving!”