Return of the Double Tall

Despite the dreary rain and wind, it was a bright morning for some Snohomish County commuters on Community Transit's Routes 413 and 415.

Surprise surprise! Riders watched a shiny, new 14-foot high Double Tall bus roll up to their stop to welcome them aboard.

My co-worker Jason and I met up with the bus and its driver, Ron, at 4 a.m. to tag along on those first trips and record a virtual ride-along for fans of our Facebook page. We loved seeing the surprised looks on customers' faces as we rolled up. We took some photos and chatted with customers, many of whom welcomed the return of the much-loved Double Tall. Others took a ride for the first time; we suggested they sit up top, of course.

Some choice quotes overheard this morning:

"London's not going to have anything on us!"

"Reminds me of JetBlue..."

"What did you do today? Oh, I rode on a double-decker bus!"

My personal favorite:

"Watching this bus pull in to Mountlake Terrace was, like...WHOA."

You said it all, sir. We saw lots of smiles, thumbs up from passers-by, people snapping pics with their phones.

Customers can expect to find the Double Tall on various commuter routes to and from Seattle. There are 23 buses total, and the rest of the fleet will be going into service over the coming weeks (maybe even one more this afternoon!). To see the photos from the ride-along, visit our Facebook page.

And keep your eyes peeled for the Return of the Double Tall on Snohomish County's (and Seattle's) streets.