Transit users along TransLink’s long-distance routes might soon get a bit more elbow room on their commute as a pilot project introducing double-decker buses launched on Thursday.

Service on double-decker buses will begin late next week on select, often overcrowded routes travelling from Vancouver to Langley, Surrey, White Rock and Delta. These new buses have 83 per cent more seating and double the capacity of older, highway coaches.

"Our ridership is booming," said Kevin Desmond, CEO of TransLink, at a press conference Thursday. "With that demand comes crowding on our buses and these buses are part of our solution to crowding and to attract and retain ridership with a more comfortable and, in this case, kind of a fun ride."

Desmond said that ridership increased by more than four per cent per cent at the end of 2016 and that by the end of October of this year, ridership was already up more than six per cent.

The three month pilot program will allow TransLink to test how double-decker buses fare from both customer experience and operational perspectives. To prepare, routes had to be tested for obstacles like branches and low hanging wires using a mock double-decker bus made from a repurposed, retired 40 foot bus with rectangular frames. TransLink drove the test bus along the routes and any obstacles that were identified were forwarded to municipalities for removal.

"And yes, these buses actually do fit through the Massey tunnel," said Dan Savitsky, vice-president of maintenance for TransLink, while explaining these tests. "I’m sure there will be several people ducking if they’re sitting on the upper deck the first time they go through, but the buses were specifically selected because they do fit through the tunnel."

For the pilot, two buses were supplied free of charge by British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis, and were brought up from the American Public Transit Association’s conference in Atlanta, Ga. However, as part of its 10 year vision plan, TransLink plans to add 32 of its own double-decker buses by 2019.

"This region of two and a half million people is expected to accommodate another 1.2 million people over the next 25-30 years," Desmond said. "We have to find solutions now and in the future to managing the capacity of our over-subscribed transportation network. "