Community Transit in ­Snohomish County, WA, is preparing to introduce 17 new Double Tall double-decker buses to replace aging articulated buses on its daily commuter routes to Seattle. The order will almost double the size of the agency’s Double Tall fleet to 40 vehicles.

“Riders love our Double Talls and they turn heads everywhere they go,” said Community Transit CEO Joyce ­Eleanor. “People throughout the region are familiar with these buses even if they don’t ride them. We get visitors from all over the country who want to check them out, and the Double Tall does not let them down.”

Eleanor added: “Aside from the great views on the upper deck, the buses tower over traffic, reminding people sitting in their cars going nowhere that Community Transit is a great alternative.”

The agency currently operates 23 Double Talls, which carry about 10,000 riders into and out of downtown Seattle every week.

When they enter service in 2015, the 17 new double-decker buses will replace the oldest model of 60-foot articulated buses in the agency’s commuter fleet, manufactured in 1999. According to Community Transit, each Double Tall bus can carry 30 percent more riders than the bus it is replacing while also offering improved fuel economy.

Funding for the purchase, totaling approximately $17 million, includes about $10 million in federal bus replacement funds, $3.9 million from the state, and about $2.5 ­million from the agency’s bus replacement reserves.

Community Transit is preparing to add 17 more Double Tall buses to its current 23-vehicle fleet.