Call it an early Christmas present: Brand new transit buses will be in service in Whistler as early as next week, with 21 new buses to be delivered in time for the Dec. 25 holiday.

Mayor Ken Melamed, several councillors, municipal staff and a few interested Whistlerites took a test ride on one of the new buses on Monday (Nov. 10) after Ron Drolet, B.C. Transit’s vice president of planning, announced the pending arrival of the new buses. The display on the front of the bus that typically posts the route name was set to read “Merry Christmas.”

“Everyone’s aware of the real need for these buses,” Melamed said. “This is just so fantastic.”

Whistler is set to take delivery of new hydrogen fuel-cell buses in the fall of 2009 as part of a pilot project to showcase the technology. But when Melamed made a plea to the B.C. Transit board more than a year ago to provide new buses sooner because of the age and lack of reliability of Whistler’s current fleet, B.C. Transit officials moved Whistler to the “front of the queue” for new buses, Drolet said.

In turn, manufacturer Nova Bus worked to fill the order to provide Whistler with new buses in time for the peak winter season, he said.

“The fleet is tired,” Drolet said of Whistler’s existing 28 buses. “Its average age made it one of the oldest fleets in the province.”

The high transit ridership in Whistler and a “relatively tough operating environment” have made operating the system with the old, unreliable buses a challenge, Drolet said.

Whistler Transit has the highest rides per capita in B.C., with almost three million rides last year.

“Whistler is a bit of a jewel in the crown,” Drolet said. “It’s worthy of the investment.”

The new buses are wider and five feet longer than the existing 35-feet coaches, they are all wheelchair accessible and equipped with bike racks. Each bus has 37 seats and a maximum load of 67 people, about eight more than the existing buses, he said.

“All in all, a better bus with more capacity,” he said. “I know it will set a whole new standard in ride quality.”

The buses cost about $500,000 each, representing a cost of more than $10 million for the 21 new vehicles, Drolet said. B.C. Transit pays about 47 per cent, with the municipality covering the balance.

Emma DalSanto, transportation planner for the municipality, said the monthly lease cost of the buses will be higher for Whistler than the existing fleet, but a grant from the federal government and reduced maintenance costs are being factored into the calculations.

“B.C. Transit is still getting back to us on what the final costs will be,” she said.

Councillor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden said 18 of the new buses will go into the local Whistler fleet, with three earmarked for use in the Squamish-Whistler commuter service. The new buses will be used in Whistler until after the 2010 Games, in conjunction with the hydrogen buses.

Drolet said a few of the newest buses in the existing fleet will be retained to accommodate peak winter service levels, a few more of the buses will be kept for use in 2010 in other areas, and the rest will be sold on the used bus market, mostly for parts.

With the new buses come increased service and a new Alpha Lake route, Drolet said. The full winter schedule will be in place on Dec. 10.

Both Melamed and Drolet predicted that the new buses will result in increased transit use in Whistler.

“People ride transit more when they know it’s reliable,” Melamed said. “The buses can run on time and they’re comfortable and clean.”