New York's MTA operates DesignLine buses. MTA photo.

You’re going to be seeing a new style of shuttle bus on the 16th Street Mall come next spring.

Faced with the need to replace the current fleet of mall shuttles as well as having to add to their numbers because of the FasTracks program’s extension of the mall for three more blocks, RTD has approved a contract with a Charlotte, N.C., bus manufacturer for two prototypes and an option for up to 57 more if they work out.

The $1.3 million contract is with DesignLine USA. It produces several types of buses including all-electric, hybrid electric with diesel or compressed natural gas, and tradition diesel or natural gas-powered buses.

The pictures in this article are representative of DesignLine’s off-the shelf vehicles and do not show what RTD’s vehicles will end up looking like after they are customized for the unique needs of free shuttle service on the mile-long mall. But the mall vehicles will be 45 feet in length and have right-hand drive, similar to the current shuttles. The new buses will have the same low-floor entry of the current ones, and have at least three doors for quick boarding and exit.

DesignLine manufactures several types of buses off-the-shelf, but RTD's design must be customized for the particular needs of the mall.

The mall run is brutal on the buses, which need to accelerate and stop at each corner while carrying dozens of people at a time during peak hours.

The mall will be extended three more blocks north beyond Union Station as part of the FasTracks program, which will construct a new light rail station near the Millennium Bridge. The added length alone requires that RTD add several more shuttles to the fleet in order to maintain the same frequency of service – every 75 seconds during peak service periods.

RTD currently has 36 mall shuttle buses, and the fleet was recently refurbished to extend their service life for six more years. The project, done in-house by RTD personnel, finished at 25 percent under budget.

DesignLine makes airport shuttle buses such as this one. DesignLine photo.