No plans to remove double-deckers from Transitway after fatal crash
Transitway reopened Sunday, 2 days after bus slammed into Westboro station shelter
Double-decker buses will not be pulled from the Transitway now that it's back open after Friday's fatal crash at Westboro station, according to the head of OC Transpo.
Three people were killed and 23 injured Friday afternoon when a double-decker bus bound for Kanata slammed into a bus shelter at the station.
"I know, and I fully respect, that there's a lot of questions out there about [whether they're] safe," OC Transpo general manager John Manconi told CBC News Sunday night.
"We have very safe vehicles. They are tested. They exceed all inspection requirements. We had rigorous independent testing done when those vehicles were brought on board."
Open at 7:30 p.m.
After the crash, the Transitway was closed between Dominion and Tunney's Pasture.
The City of Ottawa said Sunday afternoon that the Transitway would reopen at 7:30 p.m., and that temporary bus stops set up on nearby Scott Street would be closed.
In a tweet, Mayor Jim Watson said staff with both OC Transpo and Ottawa Public Health would be on-hand tonight and Monday to assist riders.
Manconi said double-decker buses would also run along route 269, which was the route the bus involved in Friday's crash was traveling along.
"We are very, very confident they're safe vehicles. They will be out in use," said Manconi. "And if our customers have any questions, our operators have any questions, we're there to assist."
The city has also set up two temporary memorial sites at Westboro station: one on the lower level of the westbound Transitway platform, and another on the upper level at the corner of Scott Street and Athlone Avenue.
A stretch of Scott Street near Westboro station had also been closed after the crash, but it reopened Saturday.