Are there any double-decker buses in the States?
Double-decker bus
With the exception of coaches, double-decker buses are uncommon in the United States. Many private operators, such as Megabus, run by Coach USA, employs double-decker buses on its busier intercity routes.
Double-decker bus
Double-deckers are primarily for commuter transport but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists. William Gladstone, speaking of London's double-deck horse drawn omnibuses, once observed that "...the best way to see London is from the top of a bus".
Optare MetroDecker
The Optare MetroDecker is an integral twin-axle double-decker bus manufactured by Optare. Unveiled in May 2014, four examples were built as demonstrators.
Voiture État à 2 étages
The Voiture État à deux étages, (French: "state double-deck passenger car"), were a class of double-deck carriages built for the Chemin de fer de l'État (state railway) of France.
Double-decker bus
In the 1950s, double-decker buses of the South Western Bus Company plied on the Galle Road in Colombo, Sri Lanka. These were taken over by the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) when all bus services were nationalised in 1958. Beginning around 1959, large numbers of second-hand double-decker buses of the RT, RTL and RTW classes were imported by the CTB from London Transport, and ran in their original red livery with the oval CTB logo painted on the sides. These buses were phased out beginning in the mid-1970s, and none remain in service. Later, around 1985, 40 ex-London Routemaster entered service. One Routemaster bus is run by the "Sirasa" TV and radio station.
Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange
Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was the first underground interchange in Singapore to accommodate articulated buses and double decker buses. Double deckers made their debut appearance in 19 February 1996 as an off-service SBS bus, one of which it is a Leyland Olympian 2-Axle and Mercedes-Benz O305 double deckers.
Community Transit
Sound Transit introduced five of its own double-decker buses in 2015 for use on their Snohomish County routes under contract with Community Transit. Sound Transit plans to eventually replace its entire Snohomish County fleet with double-deckers in the near-term future, beginning with 32 additional buses in 2018. Community Transit also ordered 17 double-decker buses, with an option to purchase 40 more, as part of the joint procurement with Sound Transit and Kitsap Transit.
Mancunian double-decker bus
The Mancunian double-decker bus was a type of bodywork for double-decker bus designed by Manchester Corporation Transport Department and built on Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline chassis. A total of 472 Mancunians were ordered by the Department between 1965 and 1968 and delivered from 1968 until 1972 by Park Royal, East Lancs, Metro Cammell and Charles H Roe. The first 96 buses ordered (48 each from Leyland and Daimler) used a chassis, but the majority were long. A further 20 were built for Salford City Transport.
Trolleybuses in Greater Boston
The present fleet is made up of vehicles built by Neoplan USA and fitted with Škoda electrical equipment. There are two distinct groups: The network serving Cambridge and vicinity uses a fleet of 28 vehicles, while the Silver Line (Waterfront) uses a fleet of 32 dual-mode buses which are articulated and long. On June 18, 2014, an contract from Maine Military Authority would overhaul the 32 buses. By November of that year, the first 4 which were pilots were shipped and the first one completed overhaul in October 2015 which was #1132.. After the first bus returned, several more were delievered with the last bus #1123 in late March 2018. The last bus to complete overhaul was #1123 and returned in August 2018 which marked the program conclusion  (in august 2018 results). The buses were overhauled in this way . The rigid/standard trolleybuses (numbered 4101–4128) were delivered in 2003–04 and were the first low-floor trolleybuses in North America. Only No. 4101 arrived in 2003, in April, then returning to the factory for modifications. The first day of service for trolleybuses in this series was June 4, 2004. The dual-mode, articulated vehicles (numbered 1101–1132) were delivered in 2004–06 and are also low-floor vehicles.
Double-decker bus
In 1941, Miss Phyllis Thompson became the first woman licensed to drive a double-decker vehicle in the United Kingdom. She drove for the bus company Felix Bus Services, then at Hatfield near Doncaster.
Leyland Atlantean
Singapore Bus Service received 520 Leyland Atlantean AN68/2Rs between 1977 and 1986 in three batches with the bodywork provided by Metal Sections/Duple Metsec, British Aluminium Company and Walter Alexander. The first bus route to have double decker bus is route 86 from Hougang South to Shenton Way. By 1986, some of the bus routes in Singapore are using Leyland Atlanteans, with the exception of Jurong Bus Depot.
Double-decker bus
In the Republic of Ireland, nearly all of buses operated in and around Greater Dublin by Dublin Bus are double-deckers. There are 936 double-decker buses (second after London) in the company's fleet of 942.
Beijing Bus
On July 1, 2016, the first double-decker electric buses entered service in Beijing on Route 观光3, a tourist route that runs from the Summer Palace to the north gate of the Forbidden City. In February 2017, the first double-decker electric buses for a standard route were introduced to Bus 44. The electric double-decker bus has 70 seats and can carry 100 passengers. By March 2017, the electric double decker fleet had expanded to 10 bus routes: 13, 44, 55, 121, 425, 510, 569, 专6, 专8 and 特12. Later that same year, route 10 also started running Yinlong double-decker EVs. In January 2018, Huairou bus H64 was converted to double-decker electric buses.
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses are common on long distance interurban trips to main cities of the country. Open top double-deckers are used in city tours in downtown Lima and in the tourist district of Miraflores. Pio Delgado Arguedas bought 300 Greyhound buses and was the distributor of the buses in South America and Mexico. He also created TEPSA, and was the owner for years until he sold his company.
Transportation in Houston
Megabus  operates low-cost double-decker coaches from Houston to major cities in Texas and Louisiana.
OC Transpo Route 61
In the summer of 2006 and the winter of 2007, OC Transpo tested a double decker bus, the Alexander Dennis Enviro500 on this route as well as some express routes. The testing was made in order to determine whether double decker buses will be possible to operate within the Ottawa system as it contains a higher seating capacity than the articulated buses although with lower total capacity (including standing room only) than the latter due to the height restriction of the upper floor of the bus. . Double decker buses were re-used on the route during the summer of 2009.
Double-decker bus
Double deckers are also commonly found in Thailand nowadays. Previously there are Volvo B10M with Alexander bodies available.
Single-deck bus
In regions where double-deckers are not common, the term "single-decker" may lack common usage, as in one sense, all other main types of bus have a single deck. Also, the term may become synonymous with the name transit bus or related terms, which can correctly be applied to double-deckers too.
GO Transit fleet
GO Transit currently operates two types of buses: single-decker highway coaches, constituting 75% of the active fleet; and commuter-type double-decker buses, constituting the remaining 25%. All vehicles run on diesel fuel.
Double-decker bus
Citizens Area Transit, the transit authority in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, introduced a fleet of double-deckers to serve the Las Vegas Strip route in October 2005. The route is branded as "The Deuce". As of 2009 it serviced eight lines.
Public transportation in the United States
There are three common types of bus service in the United States: conventional bus systems, bus rapid transit (BRT), and intercity buses. Nearly every major city in the United States offers some form of bus service, with some being 24 hours a day. These buses run on flexible routes and make frequent stops, with a focus of provided accessible service to all tracts of a community. Bus rapid transit attempts to mimic the speed of a light rail system. Most BRT systems in the United States are in moderate sized cities or satellite cities, and serve as auxiliary routes for rail service. The primary different between BRT in the United States and regular bus service is BRT often runs more frequent as has fewer stops, in order to make service quicker. Furthermore, BRT service generally has their own dedicated right of way and signal prioritization, which allows BRT vehicles to move faster than regular automobile traffic. Both BRT and conventional buses are usually publicly financed. Well-known examples of cities with popular BRT services in the United States include Cleveland, Miami, and Richmond. Most inter-city bus service is private for-profit ventures, although they normally used publicly subsidized motorways and highways. Examples of intercity bus service in the United States is "Megabus" and "Greyhound", which are the two largest inter-city bus services in the United States.
Double-decker bus
Since the 1990s, JR Buses started to use Aero King for an overnight inter-city highway bus service named "Dream-go". The first Aero King in Dream-go, operated to "Fuku Fuku Tokyo" between Tokyo and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi with Sanden Kotsu, which was replaced with a "super high-decker" coach in middle of the 1990s, "Fuku Fuku Tokyo," and finally stopped in 2006.
Double-decker bus
Japanese overnight highway buses are mainly equipped with a three-line, two-aisle (1+1+1) seat configuration with reclining seats. When this configuration is used on an ordinary coach, it has 28, 29 or 31 seats. When this configuration is used on a double-decker bus, it has 36 or 40 seats: the vehicle's price and capacity increase while operating cost decreases.
Metro Manila Transit Corporation Double-Decker Bus
The Metro Manila double-decker bus was employed in the 1980s on the EDSA highway. The model most used was the Leyland Atlantean, a double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1958 and 1986. Leyland pioneered the design of rear-engined, front entrance double deck buses in the United Kingdom, allowing for the introduction of one-man operation buses, dispensing with the need for a conductor.
Transit bus
Transit buses can be single-decker, double-decker, rigid or articulated. Selection of type has traditionally been made on a regional as well as operational basis; however, with the advent of global manufacturing, all of these types can be seen in the same location or country. Depending on local policies, transit buses will also usually have two, three or (for articulated) four doors to facilitate rapid boarding and alighting.
Bilevel rail car
The bilevel car (American English) or double-decker train (British English and Canadian English) is a type of rail car that has two levels of passenger accommodation, as opposed to one, increasing passenger capacity (in example cases of up to 57% per car). In some countries such vehicles are commonly referred to as dostos, derived from the German Doppelstockwagen.
The Deuce (transit bus service)
The route operates using Alexander Dennis Enviro500 vehicles built by the British manufacturer Alexander Dennis. They each seat 27 people on the lower deck, 53 on the upper deck, and are 40 feet long. RTC Transit is one of five transit agencies that operate double-decker buses in the United States for fixed-route services, the others being Unitrans of Davis, California; Community Transit of Snohomish County, Washington; Antelope Valley Transit Authority of Palmdale, California and Lancaster, California; and SLO Transit of San Luis Obispo, CA. All of the five agencies reside on the west coast.
Transverse engine
Transverse engines have also been widely used in buses. In the United States they were offered in the early 1930s by Twin Coach and used with limited success in Dwight Austin's Pickwick Nite-Coach. Transverse bus engines first appeared widely in the Yellow Coach 719, using Dwight Austin's V-drive; they continued in common use until the 1990s, though shorter V-configuration engines in a straight in "T-drive" configuration became common in the 1960s. They were also used in the British Leyland Atlantean and in many transit buses and nearly all modern double decker buses. They have also been widely used by Scania, MAN, Volvo and Renault's bus divisions.
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses can be found in several locations in Africa, such as Alexandria in Egypt and Johannesburg (Metrobus), City of Tshwane, and Cape Town (Golden Arrow Bus Services) in South Africa as well as Mombasa, Kenya.
Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority
One notable feature of the GDRTA system is its use of electric trolley buses. Only five cities in the United States currently have electric trolley buses: Boston, Dayton, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. The first electric trolley bus (ETB) operation in Ohio occurred in Dayton, on April 23, 1933, when the Linden–Salem line was converted from streetcars to trackless trolleys — or trolley buses, as they are most commonly known today. The RTA renewed its commitment to electric transit with a Board of Trustees vote to continue the trolley bus service in 1991, and the purchase of a new fleet of ETBs from Electric Transit, Inc., a joint venture of the Czech company Skoda and the U.S. company AAI Corporation, based on Skoda's model 14Tr. Final assembly of the vehicles took place in Dayton in 1995–98. In 2014, the system added its first low-floor trolley buses, with four dual-mode prototypes purchased from Vossloh Kiepe (now Kiepe Electric) and using bodies from Gillig, for testing and evaluation. In January 2018, RTA placed an order with Kiepe for 26 production-series dual-mode trolley buses to the same design as the prototypes, with Gillig low-floor bodies, for delivery starting in 2019.
Double-decker bus
Cities listed here have double-decker buses as part of their regular mass transit fleet. Cities with only tourist and sightseeing double-decker buses are excluded.
Double-decker bus
For publicly run transport, articulated buses are generally preferred. Nonetheless, a handful of municipal operators use double-decker buses, primarily on the West Coast.
Articulated bus
Articulated buses are commonplace in such US urban centers as Akron, Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Orange County (California), Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Phoenix, the Quad Cities, Rochester, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Disney World, Orlando, FL. and Washington, D.C.. In Eugene, Lane Transit District uses articulated buses on some high-traffic routes, as well as on their Emerald Express (EmX) Bus Rapid Transit Service.
Double-decker tram
From 1910 to 1964 double-deck trams were in use in Mumbai, India (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking). They were also in use in Johannesburg, South Africa, where trams were operational from 1906 to 1961. A few of the tramcars in Alexandria, Egypt, are double-deckers.
Double-decker bus
SBS Transit's exclusivity on double-decker buses in Singapore lasted until 2014, when rival SMRT Buses ordered 201 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses. It was followed up with 16 MAN ND323Fs in 2015.
Double-decker bus
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is operating double deckers in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi cities. Kolkata and also has double-decker buses. They are modelled on the London buses. Ashok Leyland Titan double decker buses are used in all cities. Articulated double-decker buses from Ashok Leyland were used till they were phased out in the early 1990s as they were thought to be unsuitable for city traffic. Recently in Kolkata, CSTC reintroduced double decker bus with music system on selected routes where wide road space was available, i.e. no over-head cables, low bridges or flyovers. CSTC has spent 1 million INR to renovate 1 bus. Today, double deckers exist only in Mumbai, Vadodara, Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
History of Lothian Buses
The first double-decker buses (open top, rear staircase layout) arrived in 1922.
Double-decker bus
Until 2013-14, double decker buses were used only by tour operators and for long distance coach services operated by Intercity Coachlines and Manabus. They were not used for public transport on urban routes.
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses are in common use throughout the United Kingdom, and have been favoured over articulated buses by many operators because of the shorter length of double-deckers and larger amount of seating capacity; they also may be safer to operate through the narrow streets and tight corners common in Britain. The majority of double-decker buses in the UK are between and long, the latter being more common since the mid-1990s, though there are three-axle models in service with some operators. Double-decker coaches in the UK have traditionally been in length, though many newer models are about .
Double-decker bus
Singapore Bus Service, now known as SBS Transit (SBST), was for many years the only operator of double-decker buses in Singapore, launched its first double-decker bus service on 13 June 1977 with 20 Leyland Atlanteans running on service 86 and launched by then-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communications Ong Teng Cheong The fleet grew steadily, with the further introduction of the Mercedes-Benz O305 and the Leyland Olympian in 1993, the latter being the first air-conditioned double-decker bus and the longest bus to date at in length, leading to its nickname of "Superbus". The Volvo B10TL, the first stepless, ultra-low-floor "Superbus" was launched in 1999. Volvo B9TL wheelchair-accessible buses began to be introduced in 2006, by 2014, SBST had over 1631 of these buses in service.
Bus conductor
Bus conductors (also referred to as conductors, or clippies) were a common feature of many local bus services in larger towns and cities in the UK and Ireland, until the late 1970s and early 1980s. The main reason two-person crews were needed was that most towns and cities used double-decker buses for urban services. Until the 1960s, all double deck vehicles were built with front-mounted engines and a "half-cab" design, like the familiar AEC Routemaster London bus. This layout totally separated the driver from the passenger saloons. The conductor communicated with the driver using a series of bell codes, such as two bells to start (the well-known "ding-ding").
GO Transit
Today, GO Transit operates a combination of single-level coach buses and commuter-type double-decker buses. All buses are equipped with bike racks and are wheelchair accessible. Most of the older buses in the fleet are , single-level D4500CT coach buses built by Motor Coach Industries, which can seat 57 people and features a wheelchair lift for disabled users. The first models of this type entered service in 2001 and orders have continued until 2015. In April 2008, GO began operating Enviro 500 double-decker buses built by British manufacturer Alexander Dennis in the United Kingdom. These buses come in three different designs differing mainly in their size and height. All double deckers have a low-floor design and a wheelchair ramp at the front door.
East Lancs 1984-style double-deck body
This design was introduced in 1984. Early examples included Dennis Dominators for Leicester CityBus. At first it was often specified for coach use, sometimes by operators that at the same time specified one of the plainer designs for bus use. This has sometimes earned it the misnomer "coach body", but in fact a majority were double-decker buses.
OC Transpo
The first few double-decker buses arrived in Ottawa on August 23, 2012. The following day Ottawa mayor Jim Watson and transit chair Diane Deans introduced the first of the 75 double-decker buses at a ceremony at Ottawa city hall. The new double-deckers started entering service in October 2012, and are primarily used on connexion routes from Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orleans.
Double-decker bus
Other than the capital Jakarta, there are some cities in Indonesia that have operated double-decker buses, mostly as city sightseeing tour service. They are Bandung and Surakarta. The Bandros is a double-decker tourist bus operating in Bandung since 2014.
Rigid bus
Rigid buses may be of either single-deck or double-deck design, and may have either two axles or multi-axles. However, the expression "rigid bus" is seldom used to describe a double-decker bus, because very few double-decker buses have anything other than a rigid chassis.
Double-decker bus
The first French double-decker bus was brought into service in Paris in 1853; it was a horse-drawn omnibus. The upper floor was cheaper and often uncovered.
Rail freight transport
In the United States, Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) with Malcom McLean came up with the idea of the first double-stack intermodal car in 1977. SP then designed the first car with ACF Industries that same year. At first it was slow to become an industry standard, then in 1984 American President Lines started working with the SP and that same year, the first all "double stack" train left Los Angeles, California for South Kearny, New Jersey, under the name of "Stacktrain" rail service. Along the way the train transferred from the SP to Conrail. It saved shippers money and now accounts for almost 70 percent of intermodal freight transport shipments in the United States, in part due to the generous vertical clearances used by U.S. railroads. These lines are diesel operated with no overhead wiring.
Double-decker bus
Presently double-decker buses are used by the Mall of Asia Arena (Higer KLQ6119GSE3 B91H-series) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (King Long XMQ6110GS). Former operators were Manila Motor Company (Matorco), which introduced such buses to the Philippines, and the Metro Manila Transit Corporation (Leyland Atlantean). The first double-decker bus in decades to serve the riding public in the capital region debuted in January 2016, serving the SM City North Edsa-Ayala Center route. It also sports PWD and elderly sitting, a national first.
Open top bus
Until the 1920s most, if not all, double-decker buses were constructed with no roof on the upper deck, and were the original "open-toppers".
Single-deck bus
A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term "single-decker" refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a bus with two passengers decks and a staircase. These types of single-deckers may feature one or more doors, and varying internal combustion engine positions.
Multi-axle bus
Tri-axle double-decker buses are common in high capacity operating environments where articulated buses are not used, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Tri-axle buses also see high volume use in Dublin, Ireland. Imported tri-axle buses were used initially by Megabus for high capacity low cost intercity travel in the UK.
Trailer bus
During World War II and in the immediate post-war years, trailer buses were turned to as a simple and economical way of providing bus transport to replace worn out conventional bus fleets. The semi-trailers were basic and uncomfortable, but each could carry more passengers than an ordinary single-decker bus, and nearly as many as a double-decker bus. Indeed BEST of Mumbai, India had ten double-decker trailer buses in her fleet during the 1970s.
Double-decker bus
In October 1953, a single AEC Regent III double-decker from the fleet of the Kuala Lumpur, Malaya-based General Transport Company was sent to Singapore for demonstration. It was used on service by the Singapore Traction Company for two weeks. After that, it was inspected by two other bus companies, and then sent back to KL. However, no orders for double-deckers immediately followed.
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
At the end of 2002 Mayflower terminated Thomas Dennis, its three-year-old North American low-floor single-decker buses joint venture, selling its 49 per cent interest to partner DaimlerChrysler. Mayflower stated it wanted to concentrate on double-deckers, citing the success of their double-decker fleets in New York and Vancouver.
Single-deck bus
With the exception of regions of major double deck or articulated bus operation, usually urban areas, the single decker is the standard mode of public transport bus travel, increasingly with low floor features.
Double-decker bus
In 2000, the cities of Victoria and Kelowna, British Columbia placed an order for 10 Dennis Trident 3 buses imported from the United Kingdom, becoming the first cities in North America to use modern double-decker buses in their public transit systems. Several more orders have been placed since then, and as of 2017 BC Transit operates 69 double-decker buses, including Trident 3s and the newer Alexander Dennis Enviro500s, of which 62 operate on the Victoria Regional Transit System and the remaining 7 with the Kelowna Regional Transit System. In Victoria, the buses are mainly used on routes that go from downtown to the suburbs, and to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal near Sidney, B.C. They can also be found on routes that head to the University of Victoria and the Western Communities, and have proven to be very popular amongst both locals and tourists.
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses are common in long distance interurban trips. Open top double-decker are used in city-tours. On 9 March 2017, the British Embassy in Chile made a deal with the Public Transport Ministry in Santiago to try double-deckers for public transport. On that day the first bus was tested on Santiago roads.
University of California, Davis
UC Davis is also well known for its bus service, Unitrans, and its trademark London double decker buses. It has been in operation since 1968 and is believed to be the only general purpose (non-sightseeing) transit system in the U.S. to operate vintage double deck buses in daily service. The system is operated and managed entirely by students and offers fixed-route transportation throughout the city. There is also an inter-campus bus service that ferries back and forth between UC Davis and UC Berkeley twice daily, from Monday to Friday. Davis is also one of the busiest stations of the Capitol Corridor intercity railroad service operated by Amtrak between the Bay Area and Sacramento.
Double-deck aircraft
A double-deck aircraft has two decks for passengers; the second deck may be only a partial deck, and may be above or below the main deck. Most commercial aircraft have one passenger deck and one cargo deck for luggage and ULD containers, but only a few have two decks for passengers, typically above a third deck for cargo.
State Transit Authority
In 2017, State Transit purchased its first double-decker buses for use on B-Line services. These are painted in a yellow and blue livery.
Trolleybus
Since the end of 1997, no double-decker trolleybuses have been in service anywhere in the world, but in the past several manufacturers made such vehicles. Most builders of double-deck trolleybuses were in the United Kingdom, but there were a few, usually solitary, instances of such trolleybuses being built in other countries, including in Germany by Henschel (for Hamburg); in Italy by Lancia (for Porto, Portugal); in Russia by the Yaroslavl motor plant (for Moscow) and in Spain by Maquitrans (for Barcelona). British manufacturers of double-deck trolleybuses included AEC, BUT, Crossley, Guy, Leyland, Karrier, Sunbeam and others.
Tram
Double decker trams were commonplace in Great Britain and Dublin Ireland before most tramways were torn up in the 1950s and 1960s. New York City's New York Railways experimented in 1912 with a Brill double deck Hedley-Doyle stepless centre entrance car, nicknamed the "Broadway Battleship", a term that spread to other large streetcars. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia made extensive use of double decker trams. Arguably the most unusual double-decker tram used to run between the isolated Western Australian outback town of Leonora and the nearby settlement of Gwalia.
Hyderabad Allwyn
Double decker busese were running in Hyderabad long before the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1956. So the above statement that double decker buses were introduced in Hyderabad is not correct.
The Allwyn refrigerators were one of the most popular brands in India. Its rivals were Godrej, Kelvinator and Voltas. Even until 2005 the refrigerators were widely rated for their energy efficiency.
Community Transit
CT and First Transit signed their third and most recent contract in 2007, continuing the latter's operation of CT commuter service to Seattle. Community Transit debuted the first double-decker buses in the Puget Sound region during a year-long test in 2007, eventually buying its own fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro500s for its "Double Tall" fleet to be used on commuter services. A PTBA expansion into the unincorporated areas of Cathcart, Clearview and Maltby was attempted during the 2008 general elections, but failed to gain a majority vote. In November 2009, after three years of planning and a year of construction, Community Transit debuted the first bus rapid transit line in Washington, Swift. The service replaced Route 100 on State Route 99 between Aurora Village in Shoreline and Everett Station, featuring 12-minute headways, off-board fare payment and transit signal priority.
Double-decker bus
In Germany, double-decker buses in Berlin are operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). The fleet of double-decker buses in Berlin fell from 1,000 in 1992 to 450 in 2002. The models in operation in 2004 were long and held around 95 passengers. The replacements, which are supplied by Neoman Bus, are longer. The new buses are able to hold 128 passengers.
Double-decker bus
Several cities in continental China have double-deckers in regular use on certain crowded lines, while some have a few double-deck buses in use on lines which also use single-deck vehicles, e.g. Nanning on line #704 in peak hours. Guilin is leading city that operate double-deckers regularly in major routes; in its main street the double-deckers prevails and run one-by-one almost every minute. Besides Guilin and Nanning, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Dalian, Foshan and Kunming also have those buses in service, particularly on routes during rush hours. Larger towns in the developed coastal provinces, including Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, use double-decker buses.
Bus
After the Second World War, manufacturers in Europe and the Far East, such as Mercedes-Benz buses and Mitsubishi Fuso expanded into other continents influencing the use of buses previously served by local types. Use of buses around the world has also been influenced by colonial associations or political alliances between countries. Several of the Commonwealth nations followed the British lead and sourced buses from British manufacturers, leading to a prevalence of double-decker buses. Several Eastern Bloc countries adopted trolleybus systems, and their manufacturers such as Trolza exported trolleybuses to other friendly states. In the 1930s, Italy designed the world's only triple decker bus for the busy route between Rome and Tivoli that could carry eighty-eight passengers. It was unique not only in being a triple decker but having a separate smoking compartment on the third level.
Double-decker bus
In 1979, Chuo Kotsu, a chartered bus operator in Osaka, imported the Neoplan Skyliner. Skyliner, and the other imported buses: Van Hool Astromega TD824, Drögmöller E440 Meteor, and a few MAN coaches inspired Japanese bus manufactures, who developed three domestic models in the mid-1980s: "Nissan Diesel Space Dream", "Hino Grand View" and "Mitsubishi Fuso Aero King". They did not, however, sell very well as the ceiling was only high. Nevertheless, Aero King was sold for 22 years, but, being unable to meet exhaust gas emission and safety levels, production stopped in 2005.
Articulated bus
Until 1980, articulated buses were illegal on the UK's roads. A 1979 experiment by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive with buses manufactured by MAN and Leyland-DAB led to a change in the law, but the experiment was abandoned in 1981 because double-decker buses were generally considered less expensive both to purchase and to operate. The cost and weight of the strengthened deck framing and staircase of a double-decker was lower than the cost and weight of the additional axle(s) and coupling mechanism of an articulated bus. Modern technology has reduced the weight disadvantage, and the benefits of a continuous low floor allowing easier access plus additional entrance doors for smoother loading have led to reconsideration of the use of articulated buses in the UK.
In London, articulated buses were used on some routes from 2001 until 2011, but they were not a success. Boris Johnson, former Mayor of London, promised in the run-up to the mayoral election of 2008 to rid the city of the controversial buses and replaced them with double deckers.
Metro Manila Transit Corporation Double-Decker Bus
Presently, double-decker buses are used by the Mall of Asia Arena (Higher KLQ6119GSE3 B91H-series) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (King Long XMQ6110GS). Former operators were Matorco, which introduced such buses to the Philippines, and the Metro Manila Transit Corporation (Leyland Atlantean).
Double-decker bus
First used in 1938 and continued until 2003. They became part of the Iraqi culture and resumed operating in Baghdad in 2013 with modern buses. A fare can't reach more than 45 U.S. cents or 500 Iraqi Dinars. The double-decker buses in Baghdad were the first to enter the Middle East and the Arabic world.
Double-decker bus
In San Francisco, California, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency operated one Alexander Dennis double-decker bus as a demonstrator between 12 December 2007 and 8 January 2008. The bus was running on some high capacity routes as trial.
Articulated buses in the United Kingdom
Articulated buses were rarely used in the United Kingdom compared to other countries, until the turn of the millennium. This was historically due to the UK preference for the double-decker bus for use on high capacity routes. As of June 2006, there were over 500 articulated buses in the UK, although they are still heavily outnumbered by double deckers. The majority of this fleet was used in London, although in August 2008 it was announced these buses would be withdrawn by end of 2011.
Trolleybus
Trolleybuses can optionally be equipped either with limited off-wire capability—a small diesel engine or battery pack—for auxiliary or emergency use only, or full dual-mode capability. A simple auxiliary power unit can allow a trolleybus to get around a route blockage or can reduce the amount (or complexity) of overhead wiring needed at operating garages (depots). This capability has become increasingly common in newer trolleybuses, particularly in North America and Europe, where the vast majority of new trolleybuses delivered since the 1990s are fitted with at least limited off-wire capability. These have gradually replaced older trolleybuses which lacked such capability. In Philadelphia, new trackless trolleys equipped with small hybrid diesel-electric power units for operating short distances off-wire were placed in service by SEPTA in 2008 are, instead of using a conventional diesel drive train or battery-only system for their off-wire movement.
King County Metro in Seattle, Washington and the MBTA in Boston use or have used dual-mode buses that run on electric power from overhead wires on a fixed right-of-way and on diesel power on city streets. Metro used special-order articulated Breda buses with the center axle driven electrically and the rear (third) axle driven by a conventional power pack, with electricity used for clean operation in the downtown transit tunnel. They were introduced in 1990 and retired in 2005, replaced by cleaner hybrid buses, although 59 of 236 had their diesel propulsion equipment removed and continue (as of 2010) in trolley bus service on non-tunnel routes. The MBTA uses dual-mode buses on its new (2004-opened) Silver Line (Waterfront).
Unitrans
Unitrans is the transit system which operates in and around the campus of the University of California, Davis. It takes its name from an abbreviation of the words "University Transport". Excepting several managerial and maintenance positions, Unitrans is managed and operated entirely by students of the University of California, Davis who usually work part-time while attending school. The system is well known throughout the area for its use of several distinctive ex-Transport for London double-decker buses, as well as its fleet of modern natural gas single-decks. Ridership exceeds 3 million passenger-trips per year on 18 weekday, 2 school-only and 6 weekend routes. Current fares are $1.25 for the general public and included in student fees for undergraduate University attendees. Unitrans is one of a small number of transit systems in the United States to operate double deck buses in regular (non-sightseeing) service (the others include The Deuce in Las Vegas, Nevada, Antelope Valley Transit Authority in Lancaster/Palmdale, California, SLO Transit in San Luis Obispo and Community Transit in Snohomish County, Washington). Unitrans has one of the best safety records of any public transit system in the US.
GO Transit
The first two batches of double deckers have a height of , too tall to meet many height standards set by the provincial Ministry of Transportation. Thus, they are restricted to routes which avoid low bridges and underpasses. In particular, they are found exclusively on routes on the Highway 407 and Highway 403 corridors, providing service between Peel and York Regions.
Double-decker tram
A double-decker tram is a tram that has two levels. Some double-decker trams have open tops. Double-deck trams were once popular in some European cities, like Berlin and London, throughout the British Empire countries in the early half of the 20th century including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand; Hobart, Tasmania in Australia and in parts of Asia. They are still in service in Hong Kong, Alexandria, Dubai, Oranjestad and Blackpool.
Double-decker bus
Since February 2014, the Jakarta Government provides free double-decker bus tours that offers sightseeing in Central Jakarta. The buses' route covers tourist attractions, such as Monas, Istiqlal Mosque, the Cathedral, National Museum, Sarinah, and Plaza Indonesia, as well as Grand Indonesia shopping centres. As 2016 there are 18 double-decker busses in Jakarta, and the service is expanded to include Kota Tua and Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan area via Sudirman avenue.
Bilevel rail car
From 1972, more double decker multiple units were constructed by Comeng and Goninan. These are now known as the S sets. All electric suburban and interurban trains in Greater Sydney are now double deck, though the Sydney Metro (expected to open in 2019) will use single deck carriages. All double deck carriages have two doors per side per carriage, with a vestibule at each end at platform height. The Sydney double deck commuter trains are high.
Wright StreetDeck
The Wright StreetDeck is an integral double-decker bus manufactured by Wrightbus since 2014, built as standard with a Daimler OM934 diesel engine. Hybrid-electric, full-electric and hydrogen-powered variants are also produced as of 2018.
Double-decker bus
In June 2008 Boreal Transport on contract with Kolumbus introduced three double-decker buses to provide more seating for certain high-traffic departures in Stavanger.
Chicago Trolley &amp; Double Decker Co.
The Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co., runs the original hop on hop off tour and private rental service based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the largest tour operator in the Chicago area, with a fleet of 26 double-decker buses and 39 trolleys.
The Deuce (transit bus service)
In 2006, the RTC announced that they purchased 40 more double-deckers that arrived in Spring 2007, and another 40 that arrived in 2008. These new vehicles replaced the original 50 that have been serving the Strip. The original vehicles were reassigned to local routes (height permitting). These new Deuces are special in that they have 2 staircases, one in the current position, and a second one in the back. They are also 2 feet longer than the present double deckers, and have earned the nickname "Superdeuce."
Doble steam car
Doble made two further steam engines, designated models G and H. These were larger units and used experimentally in several buses. The first were tested in 1926 by International Harvester, using a Doble Model G engine, and the Detroit Motorbus Co, in a double decker, with a Doble Model H engine. A second Detroit bus had a Doble steam engine added in 1927 and at least one of them covered some 32,000 miles. In 1929 a Doble Model H was installed in a Yellow Coach for General Motors. This was followed by another Model F in a Fageol bus.
Partas
Partas is one of two bus companies in the Ilocos Region to have ever fielded a double-decker bus (the other being Farinas).
Double-decker bus
Beyond mass transit, double-deckers have seen widespread use as long-distance coaches since the late-2000s in response to growing demand for intercity travel, as expressways and outlying bus stops lack physical obstacles that plagued urban bus services.
Double-decker bus
A single double-decker bus arrived in Auckland in early March 2013 for a trial, with more planned to arrive in 2014 if the trial proved successful. The Scania K320UD bus, operated by Ritchies Transport, began revenue service on 11 March 2013 on the well-patronised Northern Express services on the Northern Busway between Albany and Britomart in downtown Auckland. In addition, NZ Bus and Howick & Eastern investigated the use of double-decker buses on the Dominion Road, Mount Eden Road, and Botany to downtown routes. By May 2016, double deckers were running on the busway and on many other Auckland urban routes, operated by several companies, with more to be introduced.
Bilevel rail car
The double-deck cars are designed for running at higher speeds than ordinary passenger cars – up to , although the upper limit was later reduced for trains entering tunnels. The cars are frequently operated in all-double-deck InterCity trains (known as IC) with at-seat power supply for laptops and wireless LAN internet connection.
The Chemin de fer de l'État in France ran "voitures à 2 étages" double-deck suburban coaches from 1933. Its successor, the SNCF, has been running VB2N double-decker coaches since 1975; VB2N were introduced from 1975 as a replacement of the État cars.
Bombardier Inc.
In the late 1970s in Ireland, Córas Iompair Éireann (now Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus) commissioned a range of single and double decker buses to be designed and produced. The prototypes were devised in Germany and production was carried out in Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland. A total of 51 express coaches (KE type) and 366 double deck buses (KD) were assembled at this facility between 1980 and 1983. They remained in service until 1997 and 2000 respectively. Some surviving examples are now exhibits at the National Transport Museum of Ireland in Howth, Co. Dublin.
Bus manufacturing
Operators may also make decisions on a particular bus type or components based on the particular terrain operated in. Some hillier areas may select different powertrain options. Areas with many low-bridges may have more single deckers than double deckers. Operators in humid climates may select air-conditioning as standard. A particular difficulty with double-deckers is trees striking the kerb-side top front corner. Manufacturers, or operators - post delivery, may fit a bull bar type arrangement to protect this part of the bodywork.
Hybrid electric bus
In the United Kingdom, Wrightbus has introduced a development of the London "Double-Decker", a new interpretation of the traditional red buses that are a feature of the extreme traffic density in London. The Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV bus uses a small Diesel engine with electric storage through a lithium ion battery pack. The use of a 1.9-litre Diesel instead of the typical 7.0-litre engine in a traditional bus demonstrates the possible advantages of serial hybrids in extremely traffic-dense environments. Based on a London test cycle, a reduction in CO emissions of 31% and fuel savings in the range of 40% have been demonstrated, compared with an "Euro-4" compliant bus.
Double-decker bus
By Japanese law, vehicles are confined to maximum height and length. Japanese double-decker buses are mainly used for inter-city highway buses (i.e., motor coaches), city tours, and charter buses. In 1960, Kinki Sharyo and Hino Motors manufactured the first original double-decker bus "Vista Coach" for Kinki Nippon Railway (Kintetsu).
Double-decker bus
In George Town, Penang, five retired AEC C1-type double-decker trolleybuses were procured in 1956 by the George Town Municipal Tramways from London Transport as an experiment for the possible use of double-decker buses in George Town. Poor performance results and the advancing ages of the buses, coupled with efforts to replace the entire trolleybus fleet with single-deck diesel-powered buses in the 1960s, led to the withdrawal of the only double-deck buses in early Penangite public transport.
GM Buffalo bus
In 1966, GM introduced the PD-4107. Also known informally as "decks", these buses were similar in some ways to the Scenicruiser design, but had a larger "second level" with the first level reduced, and the lavatory was located at the rear. The 4107 was in length, and nominally (without lavatory) would seat 41 passengers (38 or 39 with lavatory). In 1968, the PD-4903 was introduced, a long version of the 4107 which nominally would seat 49 passengers (46 or 47 with lavatory). The PD-4903 was the first GM bus to use a 24 volt electrical system and was 40 feet long with a third luggage bay. For states with lower axle load limits, a factory option used the third bay to hold a retractable two-tire axle.
Community Transit
The fleet of 45 double-decker buses operated directly by Community Transit is, , the second-largest double-decker fleet of any public transit agency in the United States, behind RTC Transit of Las Vegas, Nevada and ahead of Unitrans of Davis, California and Antelope Valley Transit Authority of Antelope Valley, California.
Double-decker bus
In Argentina, double-decker buses are the second most widely used means of transport for long distance trips in Argentina, only after aeroplanes. Argentina is a very large country, and most trips take a large amount of time, so long-distance bus companies offer high quality services which include waiters, hot and cold beverages and regular food. For very long-distance trips, most companies offer buses with large seats that can be pulled back and be shaped into a bed. Double-decker buses are also used by tourists in Buenos Aires where they're used in city-tours.
Carters Coach Services
As at September 2013 Carters operated a fleet of 13 buses. It also owned 4 preserved double deckers: 1 Bristol Lodekka, 2 Bristol VRs and 1 AEC Routemaster.
Double-decker bus
Since 1970, various operators of Copenhagen city transport were using double-deckers—originally Leyland, in the 1980s-90s MAN and in the 2000s Volvo, derivates of model B7.
Bilevel rail car
The carriage designations of bilevel cars in China start with "S", abbreviating "double-decker" () in Chinese. Current models of double decker trains include , and . Most bilevel cars in China were built by Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Works, while some bilevel coaches were built by Changchun Railway Vehicles. The types of bilevel cars including bilevel hard seat (SYZ), bilevel soft seat (SRZ), bilevel hard sleeper (SYW), bilevel soft sleeper (SRW), Bilevel dining car (SCA) and bilevel soft seat-baggage combine car (SRZXL).
Bilevel rail car
Double-decker commuter trains are used by the Zürich S-Bahn. Two types of trains are used, an older type consisting of an electric locomotive with double-decker cars, and Electric Multiple Units where the motors are on board the car. From 2010 onwards, a third type – the Stadler KISS – is scheduled to enter service.