RedRocket191
Senior Member
Except that the buses have been replaced mostly on a one-to-one basis and that is largely why the buses are so overcrowded these days.
There's ways of improving accessibility, but most low-floor designs leave a lot to be desired. Plus low-floor buses seem to get much dirtier much quicker - as soon as one snowflake falls, the windows become barely translucent.
There has been an improvement since the first Orion VIIs (the 7400-7899 set) came out - on the 7900 series, the 8000 series and 1000-1149 series, the seats have since been spaced a bit better near the front, the rear doors close a bit quicker (the back doors on the older VIIs take forever to close). With the new seating configuration at the back, at least it sounds like, even if there isn't much extra standing room, all the seats will now be usable - the rows above the rear wheel wells were never set up properly.
The buses are being replaced on a one to one basis, but they are using a new standard when reviewing service. What would have been considered acceptable crowding with high-floors is now considered overcrowding with low floors. What they do with that data is anybody's guess though.
I agree with everything else you've said, but lift equipped high floor buses are not truly accessible.