CyRide passengers experienced a new ride this week when the company took a test drive of an extended bus.

The articulated bus, which was borrowed from the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, is being tested to see if it would work well in Ames.

“We’re testing to see how it works in terms of operation, training and maintenance,” said Bob Bourne, CyRide director of transportation.

The articulated bus, commonly known as an extended bus, has three axles and is comprised of two cabs connected in the center by a turntable. Handholds are placed in the center for the safety and comfort of standing passengers.

The extended buses have an increased capacity of 25 to 35 passengers. The larger buses will alleviate the need for so many buses on the same route.

“This is a good way to move more people,” said Barb Neal, assistant operations supervisor for CyRide.

On campus, the bus would be used primarily on the orange route, which travels from the commuter parking lot and tends to have the most crowding.

“Allowing more people per bus will mean fewer buses and fewer drivers,” Bourne said. “This will create a more even flow and should save money.”

Students who rode the bus noticed its size.

“It was huge, and seemed unnecessary because buses run so often,” said Kalynn Rowley, freshman in liberal arts and sciences. “Everyone was curious as to what was going on.”

Bourne said articulated buses are common in other communities.

“Champaign, Illinois has 20 [articulated buses], and they are the leader in the nation for university-type communities,” Bourne said.

For the company, this was the opportune time to try out the new bus, he said.

Currently, CyRide is remodeling facilities and adding garage space to house the articulated buses.

“We don’t have the garage capability at this point,” Bourne said.

Borrowing the bus from Des Moines allows CyRide time to plan for the remodeling and determine whether or not extended buses would be a good investment for the city.

“It will be four to five years from now before we purchase the buses,” Bourne said. “It should save us money.”

The buses do pose potential problems for CyRide, such as a need for stops on campus that are long enough to match the length of the buses.

“We don’t fit into stops well because they aren’t long enough,” Bourne said. “On campus we would need to take out parking spots to make room.”