Jun

Not Just for Tourists; Transit Agencies Eye Double-Decker Buses

Posted by admin Published in Transportation Alternatives

When the San Francisco Muni was evaluating double-decker buses on some of the city’s busier routes, regular passengers were a bit shocked and surprised not to see their typical Muni bus. A two-story vehicle, which folks normally associate with the sightseers, arrived instead, with a normal public transit line displayed on the front rollsign.

Passengers were thrilled to be aboard a London-style buses. The top level offered views of the city streets. The large windows and cloth seats additionally made rides more comfortable and pleasant.

Transit riders are not the only ones excited about seeing that kind of bus on the streets. The agencies themselves see major benefits from using a double-decker bus.

Transit agencies see that they can add capacity to engaged bus lines without taking up more space on the streets or in the maintenance yards. generally, longer articulated buses (also known as flexible buses) are used on engaged lines. These kind of buses

take up more space, but carry the same number of passengers as double deckers. Double-decker buses plus cost less to preserve considering they lack the accordian connector that joins the two portions of an articulated buses.

San Francisco Muni has been reviewing the pilot tryout comments. Muni reports that so far, they are mostly positive. The final report on the double-deckers will be finished later that year.

New York has also considered re-implementing two-story buses along Fifth Avenue. Howard Roberts Jr, the president of the New York City Transit, has based his interest on the economics of using a double-decker bus.

Double-decker buses are widely used in London, Hong Kong, and Berlin.

Photo: Flickr/lemoncat1.