Orange is the new bus.

TriMet is going old school with its brand-new crop of buses expected to hit city streets this year.

The tri-county transit agency’s next wave of buses features a deep blue color palette with three orange stripes near the rear of the vehicle, a nod to the agency’s color palette nearly 50 years ago.

It’s a stark contrast from the existing white and blue models.

Sixty-four Gillig 3900-series buses with the new colors will debut sometime in 2019 throughout the metro area.

Tia York, a TriMet spokeswoman, said five buses were ready to roll now, and would be based out of the Powell Garage on the east side.

TriMet's new bus design features a distinct orange stripe.

Each bus costs about $487,000 and can seat 37 passengers and accommodate up to 65 or so passengers overall. TriMet’s board approved the new buses in its 2019 fiscal year budget.

Passengers will notice the buses have more exterior lighting near the doors for better visibility at night or in low-light conditions, better speakers for operator instructions or stop announcements, an overall quieter ride thanks to “sound-reducing material” and improved traction on the wheelchair ramps.

The buses also come equipped with safety panels to protect drivers, which The Oregonian reported earlier this year.

Some buses will replace older models. TriMet plans to retire 48 older buses that were added in 1999, according to a news release. Those vehicles logged nearly 900,000 miles.

The new vehicles will put the TriMet fleet at 712 vehicles. TriMet currently has the 11th largest bus fleet in the nation and the agency continues to grow due to state funding from the 2017 transportation package.

Check out this video tour of the new bus.

The new buses will largely look, sound and emit like the existing fleet.

But TriMet in 2018 committed to transitioning its fleet away from diesel fuel by 2040.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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