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Which one does your bum like? TransLink needs help picking out new bus seats

Which one?
Brendan Kergin
Brendan Kergin
The-two-pairs-of-seats-at-the-Lonsdale-Quay-SeaBus-terminal-for-customers-to-try-out
There are two pairs of seats to try out at Lonsdale Quay Terminal. TransLink wants the public to help pick.Photo courtesy TransLink

Everyone has their own criteria for choosing a seat on the bus.

In this case, though, it's not where you're going to sit, but what you're going to hoist your keister onto. Vancouver public transit agency TransLink wants to know which seat will be kind to your behind. They're asking you to choose what's best for your caboose. They're inquiring as to what commuters would prefer to rest their backs and rears on.

In short, which of these bus seats is better?

The options are blue seats with a grey plastic frame or blue seats with a grey plastic frame.

They look essentially the same, but the two may feel different. That's why TransLink has set up sample seats at Lonsdale Quay's SeaBus terminal, where people can test the two types of seats and vote via QR code.

To be clear, the seats aren't for the SeaBuses, but for new electric buses the transit operator has ordered.

"Both of the new bus seats are lighter, and believe it or not, that can make a big difference to a vehicle’s operability," says TransLink in a press release. "Both of the new seats are roughly 10 pounds lighter than our current seats, which would make our buses up to 250 pounds lighter in total."

For electric vehicles, weight matters; a lighter bus is more efficient.

Whichever seat the public votes for TransLink will install on the incoming buses. They'll also consider switching the seats in buses they already have.

"Making buses lighter would make our buses cleaner, emitting fewer greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre travelled," says TransLink.

So far, the response on their website has been mixed, with most people taking the opportunity to request other features, like a washroom or comfier seats, though one commenter did some homework.

"How about American Seating Model 6466 for the seats?" writes someone going by Quin. "It’s close enough to the American Seating Model 6484 seats used on the D40LFs that everyone keeps mentioning, and bring back American Seating Model 2003 for the suburban buses that are used on the Orion Vs because the plastic backs of those Lazzerini Pratico 3840 seats on the double deckers are going to be cracked to hell within the next 5 years."

You might not have that level of knowledge of bus seats, but your voice - or, your rear end - has a right to be heard.