Ocean City Welcomes Street Sweeping Buses

OCEAN CITY — Resort officials on Tuesday got their first look at a new high-capacity articulating bus, referred to as street sweepers or vacuum cleaners for their ability to absorb many more riders in a short amount of time then the traditional buses.

At Tuesday’s Transportation Committee meeting, committee members got a firsthand look at one of Ocean City two new articulating buses, which feature a traditional main bus trailed by a connected second section. Despite drizzly, damp conditions, the committee members got a brief tour of the new bus during the meeting on Tuesday.

The 60-foot buses can absorb many more passengers in a short amount of time than the traditional 40-foot buses with a capacity of around 100 passengers. With bus stops backing up during the busy summer season, the hope is the articulating buses will be able to sweep in and scoop up greater numbers of riders in a short amount of time. Mayor Rick Meehan suggested a promotional video be made to illustrate the articulating bus’s ability to quickly clear up long wait times at bus stops.

“I can envision 100 people at a bus stop and this thing pulls in and sucks them all up,” he said. “When the bus pulls away, there is nobody left standing there.”

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