When was the double-decker bus invented?
Double-decker bus
The first commercial horse-drawn double-decker omnibuses were introduced in England in 1847 by Adams & Co. of Fairfield, Bow, then improved upon by John Greenwood, who introduced a new double-decker in 1852.
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.
IC 2000
IC 2000 was the first double-deck train in use on a nationwide scale. Previously, most, if not all, double-deck trains, belonged to the Zürich S-Bahn network.
The IC 2000 typically has a dining or a bistro car, and a snacks trolley service on the upper level throughout the train set. Both the first and second class coaches feature luggage racks on both decks; in addition, small suitcases can be stored under the seats.
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.
Double-decker bus
Strathcona County Transit of Strathcona County, Alberta started a pilot project in September 2010 which explored using different high-capacity bus types to carry more passengers on high-demand commuter routes between Strathcona County and Edmonton. This involved a one-year lease of an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 from the manufacturer. After completing a year of testing between September 2010 and October 2011, a firm order of 14 Enviro500s was placed in 2013 for their service between Sherwood Park and downtown Edmonton, with the first arriving in late August. Five more buses were ordered in 2016, bringing the fleet of double-deckers to 19 as of 2017.
Graham's Bus Service
Double-decker Guy Arabs were the standard intake between 1944 and 1963 but finally disappeared in 1977. Their place was taken by Daimler Fleetlines, which were replaced by new or second-hand Leyland Atlanteans and the ex London Transport Daimler Fleetlines. A Ford R1114 demonstrator, bought in 1972, was the first single-decker for many years and was followed by an assortment of single-deckers, mostly Leyland Leopards, to work on the Bridge of Weir and Linwood Clipper services. One of the more unusual vehicles operated was a former Alexander bodied M-Type Volvo which had started life with Western SMT on its Glasgow to London service.
Double-decker bus
Also in Los Angeles, SCRTD used Neoplan AN 122/3 Skyliners double-decker buses from the late 70s until 1993.
Containerization
Double-stacked rail transport, where containers are stacked two high on railway cars, was introduced in the United States. The concept was developed by Sea-Land and the Southern Pacific railroad. The first standalone double-stack container car (or single-unit 40-ft COFC well car) was delivered in July 1977. The 5-unit well car, the industry standard, appeared for the first time in 1981. Initially, these double-stack railway cars were deployed in regular train service. Ever since American President Lines initiated in 1984 a dedicated double-stack container train service between Los Angeles and Chicago, transport volumes increased rapidly.
AEC Q-type
The AEC Q-type is an AEC-built single- and double-decker bus that was launched in 1932.
Neoplan
In 1964, the founder's second son, Konrad Auwärter, developed a double-deck bus design for a service bus as part of his dissertation. The 'Do-Bus' design had low weight, and could carry over 100 passengers. It also featured a low-frame front axle with forward-mounted steering gear that permitted a low flat floor. The double-deck principle was applied to the coach design, creating a high-capacity comfortable touring vehicle. This vehicle was known as the Skyliner.
Double-decker bus
Four 87-seat DesignLine double deckers started on Waikato services in 2018. Since 15 July 2018, double deckers, including some fully electric models, have been operating in Wellington. There are currently 28 diesel double deckers running and 10 electric ones.
Dennis Dominator
The Dennis Dominator was Dennis's first rear-engined double-decker bus chassis, it was launched in 1977.
Alexander Dennis Enviro500
Dennis also built one 12-metre Enviro500 demonstrator for long-term loan. It was first loaned to Community Transit between 2007 and 2009 which put it into service on 1 August 2007, the bus was used on commuter routes between Seattle and various points in Snohomish County during its first year in operation. From September 2010, it was loaned to Strathcona County Transit on a one-year lease for the operator's one-year-long double-decker pilot project. The pilot is part of an exploration of different high-capacity bus types to carry more passengers on the high-demand commuter routes, which are between Strathcona County and Edmonton; an articulated bus is also being evaluated as an alternative and there is no commitment to put any Alexander Dennis model or any double-decker design into permanent service. This bus becomes the first double-decker to be used for regular transit service in Alberta.
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses were reintroduced to the Sydney area in 2012, with Busways operating regular services from Blacktown to Rouse Hill, in Sydney's north-west. These were expanded in 2013, to traverse routes from Castle Hill and the Northern Beaches to Sydney's CBD.
Double-decker buses were also reintroduced to Melbourne to operate between Werribee, Wyndham Vale and Tarneit railway stations in 2015 using buses made in Melbourne.
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.
Micro Cars
The Micro Duo Deck is a double-decker bus designed and manufactured by Micro Cars Ltd following a deal with Chinese suppliers in 2006. The bus features a low floor arrangement, ABS brakes, full air-conditioning and automatic doors. The bus has seating for 102 persons and 26 standing. The engine and chassis are imported with Chinese parts and assembled in Sri Lanka.
Hyderabad Allwyn
The first double-decker buses in Hyderabad were introduced in April 1963. These buses were designed by Hyderabad Allwyn Limited with APSRTC . Eventually the Coach building division became one of the largest coach building contractors for the Andhra Pradesh government's state operated APSRTC buses. Allwyn also built the Indian Army's medium-capacity Shaktiman truck bodies which were originally designed by MAN, Germany as the 415 L1 AR truck.
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.
Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV
The Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV was a hybrid double-decker bus manufactured by Wrightbus. It was the first hybrid double-decker in the United Kingdom. It was based on a VDL DB250 chassis, without the engine a diesel and battery combination hybrid engine being used.
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.
Leyland Titan (front-engined double-decker)
The first of Rackham's new T-Type Leylands was, importantly, the double-deck bus. This was the Titan TD1 (mythological names for double-decks and animal names for single-deckers and lorries grew to be a Leyland tradition); it was a masterly synthesis of worldwide best practice in design. It and the single deck Tiger TS1 equivalent were announced at the London Olympia Motor Show of 1927 after an intense development period.
Red Arrow (bus)
London Transport had instigated a Bus Reshaping Plan in 1966 to examine bus service operation, and settled on replacing some double-decker buses with long single-decker buses, which would have extra capacity by implementing a 'standee bus' model as used on the continent, whereby the fixed seating in the bus would be minimised to that required off-peak, with hand holds fitted to allow maximum standee capacity at peak times. These buses would also have dual doors.
History of bus transport in Hong Kong
Following the end of restriction of buying new buses from countries of Commonwealth of Nations, KMB introduced one German-built Mercedes-Benz O305 double-decker in 1983. It was followed by another 40 in 1985.
Guy Motors
Growing populations in towns and cities meant larger capacity buses were a necessity, leading Guy to develop a 6-wheeled version of their dropped-frame chassis which allowed for the introduction of the first 6-wheeled double decker buses and 6 wheeled trolleybuses in 1926. Guy double decker buses and trolleybuses would prove popular with a fleet of double deckers sold to the London Public Omnibus Company and exports supplied all around the world. Exports served as a major source of income for Guy with sales to South Africa, Pakistan, India and the Netherlands, their armoured vehicles proving particularly popular for covering difficult terrain with 100 supplied to the Indian government in 1928.
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-decker buses are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and many former European possessions, the most iconic example being the red London bus.
Alexander Dennis Enviro500
The Alexander Dennis Enviro500 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro500) is a three-axle double-decker bus built by Alexander Dennis (formerly by TransBus) in the United Kingdom. It was unveiled in 2002 and is one of the Enviro-series bus models made by TransBus/Alexander Dennis.
Articulated bus
A few attempts have been made to design a double-decker articulated bus. NEOPLAN Bus GmbH built a handful of Neoplan Jumbocruisers between 1975 and 1992. In these models, only the upper deck allows movement between the two sections, so each section has its own doors and set of stairs.
Double-decker tram
Double Deck tramcars were used by the Pittsburgh Railways ( streetcar / interurban) between 1913 and 1924, a rare use of such tramcars in the United States of America.
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.
Coventry Corporation Transport
At the 1925 Commercial Motor Show, Maudslay exhibited one of the first covered top double deckers which the Corporation subsequently purchased. It was not until 1927 however that pneumatic tyres were first fitted to a bus.
Double-decker bus
New York City phased out double-decker buses in 1960. They briefly returned from 1976 to 1978, although they only ran in Manhattan. In 2008 the Metropolitan Transportation Authority briefly ran Van Hool double-decker buses on its Fifth and Madison Avenues Line. However, that year's financial crisis meant the end of the trial period.
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".
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses plied route services in Sydney from the 1920s until 1986. Popular makers included AEC, Albion and Leyland. Disputes over one-man operation of double-deckers led to the phasing-out of this configuration. Double-deckers were thereafter limited to charter and tourist services.
Bilevel rail car
In Japan, double-decker trains are used either to show better scenery, or to increase seat capacity. In Tokyo area commuter trains, double-decker cars are generally used as "Green Cars", a type of reserved-seating-only cars with better accommodations than the regular commuter cars.
The first Japanese double-decker train appeared in 1904. It was Type 5 train of Osaka City Tram. Sightseeing trains that feature double-decker carriages include the JR Shikoku 5000 series, Keihan 8000 series, JR Central 371 series, and Odakyu 20000 series RSE. The first JNR/JR double-decker trains were 200 series Shinkansen and 100 series Shinkansen, for Shinkansen lines.
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
Double-decker buses are common in long-distance services interstate and international (as destined for Argentina and Paraguay). It is possible to see VIP double-decker buses also connecting cities in the same state, such as São Paulo City, Sao Jose do Rio Preto and Ribeirao Preto. Inside these buses there are one TV for each person and boarding service for example. Open double-decker are used for city tours (such as Rio de Janeiro and Bahia). In São Paulo, there was an experience of use for urban services in the 80s, but without success due to problems with the height of the vehicle. These buses are fabricated in Brazil and exported to many countries.
History of bus transport in Hong Kong
In 2010, franchised bus operators introduced the first two-axle air-conditioned double deckers. KMB introduced one Alexander Dennis Enviro400, Citybus introduced two Enviro400s, later in the same year both KMB and Citybus have received one two-axle Volvo B9TL. The first production two-axle air-conditioned double deckers appeared in 2011.
Double-decker bus
The double decker bus was also a star in a Saturday morning TV series titled Here Come the Double Deckers in the 1970s.
Bus
In parallel to the development of the bus was the invention of the electric trolleybus, typically fed through trolley poles by overhead wires. The Siemens brothers, William in England and Ernst Werner in Germany, collaborated on the development of the trolleybus concept. Sir William first proposed the idea in an article to the "Journal of the Society of Arts" in 1881 as an "...arrangement by which an ordinary omnibus...would have a suspender thrown at intervals from one side of the street to the other, and two wires hanging from these suspenders; allowing contact rollers to run on these two wires, the current could be conveyed to the tram-car, and back again to the dynamo machine at the station, without the necessity of running upon rails at all."
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.
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.
Dennis Dragon
Between 1994 and 1998, Citybus introduced 80 12m Dennis Dragons and 40 10.3m Dennis Dragons. In 2000, Citybus rebuilt a 10.3 m Dragon (fleet number 701) as the world's first 3-axle double-decker air-conditioned trolleybus.
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).
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").
Dennis Trident 2
The Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally manufactured by Dennis, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow. It was built by TransBus after Dennis was incorporated into the group in 2001 (the Dennis brand name was once dropped). From 2004, it was built by Alexander Dennis. The Dennis Trident 2 can be built as either a closed top bus or an open-top bus.
Crossley Motors
By the late 1920s the market for hand-made cars began to disappear and the company moved into the bus market and launched its first model, the Eagle single decker in 1928. Although some double deck bodies were fitted to the Eagle, the Condor launched in 1930 was the first chassis to be designed for double decker bodies. The Condor could also be ordered with a diesel engine, made by Gardner at first, and became the first British double deck bus to be offered with diesel power. The big selling pre-war bus was the Mancunian with first deliveries in 1933. This was available as both a double and single decker.
Victoria Regional Transit System
The use of buses started in 1923 for outlying routes. Although trolley buses were tried in 1945, the transit system was completely converted to motor buses in 1948. In 1961 BC Electric became part of BC Hydro, a Crown corporation, before the transit system was moved to the crown agency that would become BC Transit. In 2000 Victoria became the first city in North America to use double decker buses in regular public transit service as well as the first city to use hybrid double-decker buses.
Double-decker bus
The earliest recorded use of double-deckers by Malayan bus companies was in Selangor in 1948 when the Toong Fong Omnibus Company acquired two Park Royal-built Guy Arab IIIs at a cost of M$40,000 each; the General Transport Company (GTC) followed by acquiring Park Royal-built AEC Regent IIIs. While the buses saw service for over a decade, all of them were taken out of service for a variety of reasons and were never replaced with new double-deckers; the buses were often obstructed by narrow streets, trees, low bridges, and increasing overhead wires, while passengers eventually favoured staying on the lower deck of the bus; the cost of operating the buses was also higher due to a local vehicle tax calculated based on the number of seats of a taxed vehicle. One Toong Fong double-decker was burned in the late-1950s by communist insurgents, while the remaining double-deckers were ultimately disused by the mid-1960s due to age. The successor of the GTC, Sri Jaya, experimented with a reintroduction of double-deckers in 1989 by leasing a Singapore-assembled, 102-seat Leyland Olympian for use within Kuala Lumpur for 6 months, but found that street conditions were problematic as before and discontinued the use of the bus after the trial.
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.
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.
Double-decker bus
There have been attempts to build a triple-decker bus. The main problems with such vehicles are instability and also the risk of hitting trees or bridges. In almost all models the third level was a small compartment in the rear part of the bus, such as a triple-decker capable of carrying eighty-eight people from Rome to Tivoli in 1932 or the General American Aerocoach 3 Decker Bus of 1952. The only three-decker with a full-length third level ever built is the Knight Bus created by John Richardson for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" cutting up two AEC Regent III RTs and putting them together. Although made by a special effects team for a movie, it was a functioning bus, which even went on tour.
Double-decker bus
There have been a significant number of incidents in which a double-decker bus has collided with a low bridge, often a railway bridge. This is often caused by the driver making a wrong turn, driving a route they are unfamiliar with, or being used to driving single-decker buses and forgetting to allow for their vehicle's extra height when driving a double-decker.
Alexander Dennis Enviro300
The Alexander Dennis Enviro300 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro300) is a light-weight full-size single-decker bus that was built by Alexander Dennis and its predecessor TransBus International between 2001 and 2015. The design was the first of the new Enviro range of buses from TransBus and also the first bus to be built as an integral bus by TransBus.
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.
Double-decker bus
Double-decker buses may be more popular with passengers due to the better view, and to cyclists who may be at risk due to the unpredictable swing of an articulated bus's tail. Articulated buses normally offer more standing room while double-decker buses may sometimes (not always) offer more seats. Articulated buses have less dwell time because of the extra doors, while double-decker buses offer less chances for fare dodgers since there are fewer or no unmanned doors.
Double-decker bus
From March 2009 to June 2012, three imported Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker buses similar to those in Victoria were used on OC Transpo express routes on the Transitway in Ottawa, Ontario. Delivered in November 2008, these buses proved to be efficient in reducing costs, but their height prohibited their use on many routes. Consequently, these three buses were withdrawn and sold to Victoria in late 2012 after a new series of 75 Enviro500 buses with a lower height that met MTO regulations entered service earlier that year. As of 2018 OC Transpo has 133 of these buses.
GO Transit, a regional transit system serving the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario is the largest user of double-decker buses in Canada, with over 150 such vehicles in service as of 2017. Its fleet comprises Alexander Dennis Enviro500s in a single-door, commuter-type configuration similar to its fleet of highway coaches. The first 22 entered service between 2008 and 2009, with its 4.3-metre roof height limiting usage to the Highway 407 corridor. 105 additional buses were delivered between 2012 and 2015 and feature a lower roof height of 4.1 metres. The latest series of 253 buses, which is currently built in a local factory in Vaughan, has a roof height of 3.9 metres and is expected to replace most of the single-decker coach fleet by 2020, at which point 75% of the active fleet is expected to be composed of double-deckers.
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.
AEC Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a front-engined double-decker bus that was designed by London Transport and built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) and Park Royal Vehicles. The first prototype was completed in September 1954 and the last one was delivered in 1968. The layout of the vehicle was conventional for the time, with a half-cab, front-mounted engine and open rear platform, although the coach version was fitted with rear platform doors. Forward entrance vehicles with platform doors were also produced as was a unique front-entrance prototype with the engine mounted transversely at the rear.
Buses in Melbourne
On Christmas Eve 1912 it was reported that the Daimler CC Double Decker bus "glided swiftly and silently along the city streets". The bus at this stage was soon to be plying for hire between Brunswick East and Swanston Street. In January 1913 it was reported that the Daimler bus had been remarkably well patronised with the bus complimented for its "smooth running of the engine, noiseless gears, and the quiet and easy manner in which the load is taken up when starting".
OC Transpo
OC Transpo purchased 75 more Alexander Dennis Enviro500 triple-axle double-decker buses in 2012, to replace older 40-foot models purchased from 1997 to 1999. These extra double-decker buses are used mainly on connexion routes. Double-decker buses use about the same amount of fuel as an articulated 60-foot bus, but only take up the same road area as a regular 40 foot bus, meaning they free up space (especially downtown), and provide increased seated passenger capacity for longer connexion bus routes, lowering OC Transpo's operating costs. As a result of the purchase, the 60-foot articulated buses were being moved from connexion routes to Transitway and other mainline routes, replacing the 40-foot models currently used on some trips by those routes. Those 40-foot models will replace the older 40-foot models currently used on local routes. The older 40-foot buses were retired from service. This plan was approved by the Transit Commission on April 20, 2011. The extra 75 Alexander Dennis E500 double-decker buses entered service between fall 2012 and spring 2013.
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".
Double-decker bus
Some of the existing double-deckers owned by SMRT Buses and SBS Transit were transferred to new operators Tower Transit and Go-Ahead under the Bus Contracting Model. Subsequent orders of B9TL and ND323F buses are being made by the Land Transport Authority, are painted in a lush green livery (rather than the operator-specific liveries of SMRT and SBST), and are used by all operators. Currently, there are more than 3,000 double-decker buses in Singapore, all of which are air-conditioned and the majority wheelchair-accessible.
History of bus transport in Hong Kong
In 1981, CMB and KMB introduced the first 12-metre 3-axle double-deckers (MCW Metrobus). Another three 12-metre 3-axle double-decker bus models were introduced in late 1981/early 1982, namely Volvo Ailsa B55, Dennis Dragon/Condor and Leyland Olympian, all except the Volvo Ailsa are second generation rear-engined double-deckers.
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
Malaysia has historically seen the use of double-decker buses in mass transit to varying degrees, but were significantly limited in use due operational costs and driving spaces needed for such buses. Early double-decker municipal buses primarily existed in Malaya within the Kuala Lumpur area of Selangor and George Town, Penang between the late 1940s and the early 1960s, when double-deckers were eventually withdrawn in favour of cheaper and more agile single-deck buses.
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.
Scania Metropolitan
The Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW and Scania. It was built between 1973 and 1978.
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.
Dennis Falcon
The Dennis Falcon was a rear-engined single-decker bus, double-decker bus and coach chassis manufactured by Dennis between 1981 and 1993. It was mostly built as a single-decker bus, although some express coaches and a small number of double-decker buses were also produced. The total number built was 139, plus one development chassis.
Daimler Company
A significant element of Daimler production was bus chassis, mostly for double deckers. Daimler had been interested in the commercial vehicle market from 1904. In 1906 it produced, using the "Auto-Mixte" patents of Belgian Henri Pieper, a petrol-electric vehicle and on 23 May 1906 registered Gearless Motor Omnibus Co. Limited. It was too heavy. Following the introduction of Daimler-Knight sleeve-valve engines re-designed for Daimler by Dr Frederick Lanchester Lanchester also refined the Gearless design and it re-emerged in 1910 as the KPL (Knight-Pieper-Lanchester) omnibus, an advanced integral petrol electric hybrid. The KPL bus had four-wheel brakes and steel unitary body/chassis construction. Failure to produce the KPL set bus design back twenty years.
AeroLiner3000
Started as an experiment, GB had the 'Bulleid Double Decker' car SR Class 4DD in operation more than 20 years from 1949 to 1971. As the compartments were alternately high and low, to ensure that the overall height of the unit was within the clearances necessary to pass through tunnels and under bridges, the 'Bulleid Double Decker' was more a split-level than a true double-decker.
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.
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.
Bus transport in Berlin
Double Decker
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.
Double-decker bus
In Switzerland Postauto operate double decker buses on a route between Engelburg–St Gallen–Heiden routes and in the Obertoggenburg region and in the regions of Rorschach and Goldach. 19 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 have been ordered to operate on these services, which seat 80 passengers and can carry 48 standing. Four double deckers are also operated in Graubünden which are due to be replaced within the next two years.
Bus Reshaping Plan
More Swifts went into service in North West London in June 1970, displacing double-deck vehicles. By this time, it was necessary for the LTE to place orders for buses to be delivered in 1972. The Swifts had proved to be little better than the Merlins, and it was decided that all future deliveries were to be double-deck. The first of the DMS double deckers entered service on 2 January 1971, the first of a batch of 1600 delivered throughout 1971 and 1972.
Tillingbourne Bus Company
The first vehicle to be bought by Tillingbourne was a single-deck Chevrolet with 14 seats, which entered service on the launch of the company's first route in 1924. It was joined by a similar Overland Automobile bus later in the year. Two further vehicles had been purchased by 1928, when a depot fire destroyed three of the four buses. They were replaced by second-hand buses including an 18-seat Dennis and several Thornycroft A2 vehicles. From November 1934 until the outbreak of World War II, these were progressively replaced by new buses, also built by Thornycroft. The first double-deck vehicle to be bought was a Bristol K Type, which joined the fleet in 1959. Eight Guy Vixens were bought from London Transport between 1963 and 1964 to replace the entire previous fleet. These were succeeded by a wide variety of types, with Bedford coaches and buses the most numerous. In the 1970s, a number of second-hand Bristol SUL4A's, with ECW B36F bodies, were operated.
Double-decker bus
Sweden bought in 1965 50 Leyland Atlantean double-decker buses with Park Royal bodies. Leyland claimed they were the first double-decker buses with one man operation. They had two staircases and two pairs of doors. The Atlanteans were not replaced at the end of their revenue service life in 1974. Recently, however, in 2011 double-deckers returned to Sweden on revenue duties with VDL Synergy on in the SL 676 Stockholm Östra - Norrtälje line. Norrtälje is located around 70 km north of Stockholm.
History of Dundee
The first trolleybuses in Scotland were introduced along Clepington Road in Dundee during 1912–1914. However, motor buses were gradually introduced from 1921 to supplement the tram system, and double-decker buses appeared ten years later. Electric-powered operated by "Dundee Corporation Electricity Works" were still used in parts of the city until 1961. In 1975, Dundee Corporation Transport became part of the new Tayside Regional Council. Tayside adopted a new dark blue, white and light blue livery for its buses, replacing the former dark green. The Volvo Ailsa double deck bus became standard in the Tayside fleet during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986, following bus deregulation, Tayside Buses was formed as a separate company. It was later privatised and bought out by National Express and now trades as Xplore Dundee.
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.
Mercedes-Benz buses
The world's first motorised bus was built in Germany by Karl Benz in 1895, some years before Gottlieb Daimler also started to build and sell buses in Germany as well. By 1898 both Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, then rivals, were exporting their buses to Wales and England. Soon Daimler products were sold in the British Empire in a partnership with the British company Milnes. Milnes-Daimler developed a double-decker in 1902 and provided a bus for the first motorised bus service in the United Kingdom the following year. Though the company met success in selling buses throughout the British Empire, the partnership between Daimler and Milnes had to be undone due to the First World War.
Bombardier Double-deck Coach
The ancestry of these coaches can be traced back to double-deck coaches built by WUMAG at Görlitz for the Lübeck–Büchen–Hamburg railway in 1935. They were push-pull trains with a cab car that could control the steam locomotive at the other end of the train.
Optare Spectra
Launched in 1991, the Optare Spectra is a double-decker bus body built on the DAF (now VDL) DB250 chassis.
The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; it was based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which had been jointly purchased by DAF and Optare, but they are by no means a restlyed Metrobus. With the launch of the DB250LF chassis sometime after production commenced, the Spectra was built to low-floor specification, and was one of the first low-floor double-decker buses available in the United Kingdom. The design is notable for the exclusion of a lower deck rear window, a practice that has become more commonplace. The bus typically seated 47 on the upper deck and 28 on the lower deck in single-door format.
Low emission buses in London
A double-deck hybrid vehicle intended for use in London was unveiled in October 2006. The bus, which cost £285,000 and was constructed by Wrightbus, was the first hybrid double-decker in the world, and was painted in red and green to symbolise the environmental benefits. It entered service in February 2007 on route 141.
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.
Double-decker bus
In March 2017, the first three-door, two-staircase double-decker bus in Singapore was introduced by Tower Transit for a six-month trial period.
Double-decker bus
The red double-decker buses in London have become a national symbol of England. The majority of buses in London are double-deckers. A particularly iconic example was the AEC Routemaster bus, which had been a staple of the public transport network in London for nearly half a century following its introduction in 1956. Because of cited difficulties accommodating disabled passengers, the last remaining Routemasters in use finally retired from general service in 2005. Transport for London has continued to keep these vintage buses in operation on heritage route 15H, there was formerly a second heritage route (9H) but this ceased operation in 2014 due to low patronage and increased operation costs.
Twin Coach
Twin Coach was an American vehicle manufacturing company from 1927 to 1955, based in Kent, Ohio, and a maker of marine engines and airplane parts until the 1960s. It was formed by brothers Frank and William Fageol when they left the Fageol Motor Company in 1927. They established the company in Kent to manufacture and sell buses with a new concept design. The body structure of this new bus was unique in that the body also became the frame and two engines – "twin" engines – were used to allow for larger passenger loads. This concept was patented by William B. Fageol.
Double-decker bus
In the 1970s a number of former London double decker buses were imported for museums, such as the Museum of Transport and Technology who used AEC Regent Low Height (RLH) buses to connect museum sites and for charters. Sydney double decker and more London buses of various models (AEC Regent III RT, AEC Routemasters etc.) were imported by charter and tourist operators and slowly became more commonplace. Bridge heights and shop verandas restricted the use of double deckers around New Zealand until congestion and high public transport use required some innovative solutions.
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
A double decker bus was featured on an episode of Doctor Who.
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.
Lowbridge double-deck bus
At first, there was no viable alternative to the lowbridge design, apart from the use of single-decker bus. However, the lowbridge type started to become obsolete when low-height chassis were developed, which used a dropped-center rear axle to enable the lower deck gangway to be lowered. This enabled a low-height vehicle to be built without the need for the cumbersome seating layout upstairs. The first such design was the Bristol Lodekka which was introduced by Bristol in 1949. It had a height of around compared to a typical height of around for a conventional highbridge double-decker. It was however only available to nationalised bus companies (Bristol itself being part of the state-owned sector at that time). Other low-height double-deckers included the Dennis Loline (a version of the Bristol Lodekka built under licence); the AEC Bridgemaster and Renown; and the Albion Lowlander (a low-height version of the Leyland Titan PD3). The rear-engined Daimler Fleetline and Bristol VR were also low-height chassis. Nonetheless, despite the advent of the low-height chassis, the last lowbridge double-decker was not built until 1968.
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.
Abner Doble
With the demise of his company Doble went on to work as a consultant for other engineering companies globally. During the 1920s and 1930s Doble's engines were tried in steam 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 . 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.
H. V. Burlingham
Like all other coachbuilders, Burlingham had a bulging order book at the end of the War, many operators having placed orders for completion as soon as peacetime conditions applied. The first post-war coach was completed in January 1946 and was very similar to the 1939 design, but featured an extra window pillar in each body side. Burlingham was justifiably cautious. as adequately seasoned timber for framing was very hard to obtain at the time. During 1946, a standard single-deck and double-deck bus body was introduced. The double-decker was basically the Ribble-type pre-war outline, whilst the single-decker could be best described as the utility frame re-clothed with traditional refinements such as compound curvature on front and rear domes and outswept skirt panels. Output of all three types was large, with many operators, such as Ribble and Walter Alexander, not only buying new chassis (for which a substantial waiting list had built up) but also sending pre-war vehicles to Burlingham for new bodies.
Double-decker tram
The earliest double-deck trams were horse drawn. The first electric double-deck trams were those built for the Blackpool Tramway in 1885, where Conduit tramcar No. 4 is the sole survivor of its class and is preserved at the National Tramway Museum in Crich, UK. They were common in the United Kingdom until the 1950s. London Transport was a heavy user of double-deck trams until the system closed in 1952. Apart from the Blackpool tramway, the Glasgow Corporation Tramways was the last urban British tramway to close, in 1962. Several tramcars have been preserved at the UK's National Tramway Museum, Beamish Museum, Black Country Living Museum, East Anglia Transport Museum, Heaton Park Tramway, Seaton Tramway, Summerlee Museum and the Wirral Transport Museum. Some have been preserved at New Zealand's Ferrymead Museum in Christchurch and MOTAT Museum in Auckland, which operates restored Wellington double-deck tramcar, No. 47, which operated in 1906 and also has Auckland double-deck tramcar, No. 17, in storage. The last double-deck tram built in the UK was Blackpool "Jubilee" Class No. 762, which entered service in 1982. However, it was originally built in 1935 as Blackpool "Balloon" Class No. 251, later renumbered No. 714. Its rebuild as No. 762 gave it a longer body and its pointed ends were replaced with rectangular ones. It was the second and final rebuild of two Blackpool "Balloon" tramcars into "Jubilee" tramcars, following on from "Jubilee" Class No. 761. Unlike No. 761, "Jubilee" tramcar No. 762 retained its central doors as exits for improved passenger flow at stops. For these reasons, it was considered to be an entirely new tram and on this basis, when it was retired in 2011, it was gifted to the National Tramway Museum in Crich.
Bilevel rail car
In 1964, Tulloch Limited built the first double-decker trailer cars for use in Sydney. They ran with single deck electric motor cars. After the success of the trailers, Tulloch built four experiment double decker power cars in 1968. These were the first fully double deck Electric Multiple Unit passenger trains in the world.
Lowbridge double-deck bus
The lowbridge design was introduced and patented by Leyland in 1927 on their Titan TD1 chassis. Early examples were delivered to Glasgow Corporation amongst other operators. One of the Glasgow vehicles is preserved at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, Lathalmond, Fife.
Maudslay Motor Company
As well as cars the company made commercial vehicles with the first double decker bus produced in 1905 and a range of trucks varying from small two-cylinder models to six ton models. In 1912 Maudslay supplied a engine to power an early petrol-electric railcar.