One of the new accessible buses that are replacing the Yellowknife Accessible Transit Service (YATS) fleet had their flash of flame on Oct. 16, but their debut isn't exactly what the city had planned.
YKFlex buses were pressed into service on Monday. It was a little ahead of schedule, acknowledged Abby Schelew, a communications advisor with the city. She explained that mechanical issues with the older YATS fleet meant that its new replacement had to be introduced sooner than expected.
"As we neared the end of the final inspections, the City was working towards getting the YKFlex buses on the road closer to the end of this month," said Schelew, in an email to SA国际影视传媒.
It's been a long time coming. Initially, YKFlex was buses were supposed to come with the new standard fleet of Yellowknife Transit buses launched in April.
And as quick as they came, they're back in the shadows.
Schelew said that the mechanical issues one YATS had has now been fixed.
"As such, this bus has resumed service until the YKFlex buses are ready to be put in full-time service," she said.
She added that the city will host a media event for the official launch of the new YKFlex buses, the date of which is still to be determined.
In a separate email, Schelew explained that the final inspection of the YKFlex buses conducted by the service provider in Calgary took longer than anticipated.
That inspection took months. In August, Schelew sent an email to SA国际影视传媒, noting that the YKFlex buses were undergoing a final inspection. Only once it was complete could the buses be rolled out, she added.
Transdev is the service provider in question. That company is also in charge of staffing busses, Schelew said.
Schelew said that because of the urgent need to get the new buses out, the YKFlex vehicles didn't get an official unveiling like their standard counterparts.
There are only two YKFlex busses to replace the YATS fleet. The overall budget for all costs associated with the transit system is a little more than $3 million, according to the city budget.
The YKFlex buses run from Monday to Saturday, from 6:40 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. That's a little shorter than the standard fleet, which runs for almost 13 hours, from roughly 7 a.m. to 8 p.m on weekdays.
