Articulated buses UMass Amherst (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority)

[aemoreira81]

These are the first-ever 60-foot buses for the PVTA, which has about 175 buses in all.

 

3401 (XDE60 - operated by UMass Amherst student workers) passing the ΦΣK and ΘΧ fraternity houses on North Pleasant Street in Amhest, north of Thatcher Way, on Route 31 (a young female student was driving this bus; of the UMass buses, the gender of the drivers of the buses was about evenly split)

 

7901 (XD60 - operated by Valley Area Transit Company/First Transit) at Haigis Hall (on the other side of the aforementioned frat houses), on the Blue-43 (B43) line

 

PVTA has four articulated buses in all---UMass Transit has one other (3402) and VATCo has one other (7902). These were ordered because additional capacity was needed. This was the first semester for the articulated buses, and this was also the last day of the Fall 2013 semester for the Five Colleges. UMass only runs them on the 30 and 31, and VATCo only runs them on the Blue-43.

[RookiePhenom]

That's quite the nice lookin' bus...

[Turbo19]

Radical shots!

[QM1to6Ave]

student workers drive the buses? That's a pretty cool work study job!

[qjtransitmaster]

These are the first-ever 60-foot buses for the PVTA, which has about 175 buses in all.

 

3401 (XDE60 - operated by UMass Amherst student workers) passing the ΦΣK and ΘΧ fraternity houses on North Pleasant Street in Amhest, north of Thatcher Way, on Route 31 (a young female student was driving this bus; of the UMass buses, the gender of the drivers of the buses was about evenly split)

 

7901 (XD60 - operated by Valley Area Transit Company/First Transit) at Haigis Hall (on the other side of the aforementioned frat houses), on the Blue-43 (B43) line

 

PVTA has four articulated buses in all---UMass Transit has one other (3402) and VATCo has one other (7902). These were ordered because additional capacity was needed. This was the first semester for the articulated buses, and this was also the last day of the Fall 2013 semester for the Five Colleges. UMass only runs them on the 30 and 31, and VATCo only runs them on the Blue-43.

Brings back memories when I went to that area. 

[aemoreira81]

student workers drive the buses? That's a pretty cool work study job!

 

Students are driving the buses, but they're not work study students (because the needs of the service would exceed their hours).

[QM1to6Ave]

Students are driving the buses, but they're not work study students (because the needs of the service would exceed their hours).

Does the school pay for their CDL licensing courses and tests (I assume they need a CDL license to drive them up in Mass.)? That would be a good deal 

[NewFlyer504]

Sorry to bump thread, but I am quite an expert on these particular buses. Firstly, they were bought by PVTA because of numerous capacity issues like students being turned away from early buses in the morning. (i.e. G30&P31 routes). The B43 also happened to be on this list because of all the students that rode that route. So PVTA bought 4 XDE60s (yes, XDE60s, trust me) about $1 million each to fix the pax issues. They weren't bought for PVTA Springfield because of turning radiuses of the streets and the radius of the bus itself. Although they may become a familiar site in the possible B-7 BRT and B43 BRT.

 

 

Does the school pay for their CDL licensing courses and tests (I assume they need a CDL license to drive them up in Mass.)? That would be a good deal 

 

You can apply to be trained over the Summer Break of the colleges and from my knowledge, I believe you get your CDL and get paid for it.