53-598: The Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW and Scania . It was built between 1973 and 1978. It was the second bus model jointly built by these two companies. The first model was the Metro-Scania single decker based on the BR110/CR110 chassis, which was the first Scania bus built for the United Kingdom market in 1969 and sold in small numbers. The Metropolitan
106-698: A national symbol of England. Most buses in London, as in the rest of the UK, are double-deckers. A particular 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. The remaining Routemasters in use were finally retired from general service in 2005 because of cited difficulties accommodating disabled passengers. Transport for London kept these vintage buses in operation on heritage route 15H until 2020, when it
159-461: A capacity of 132 passengers - 80 seated and fifty standing. 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. However, in 2011 double-deckers returned to Sweden on revenue duties with VDL Synergy on in
212-631: A feature of Alexandria 's bus network. In 2017, as part of a larger order of 850 new buses, the city of Addis Ababa purchased a fleet of 50 double-decker buses to operate routes on its public transportation system. Of these, 25 are operated by the Anbessa City Bus Service Enterprise and 25 are part of the Sheger bus company's fleet; both are government-owned. A fleet of double-decker buses operate in Mombasa , running
265-406: A further year following funding by TfW. The Fflecsi scheme is to end after 25 September 2022 and Newport Bus has introduced or amended other routes from 4 September 2022 as a replacement. The company also offers various commercial transport services. The original pre-war livery of maroon was changed to green and cream in the 1940s and remained the same until August 2009, when it was replaced with
318-728: A handful passed to the PTE's successor Busways Travel Services . Other large orders for the Metropolitan from the passenger transport executives included the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive , who purchased 95 Metropolitans between 1975 and 1977, the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive , who purchased 60 in the mid-1970s after taking delivery of 20 Metro-Scanias between 1972 and 1973, and
371-505: A maximum length of 18.65 metres (61 ft 2 in). Double-deckers operate in Jersey. In the territory of Gibraltar , Calypso Transport operates using double deckers in red livery. Notably, this is the only British territory in Europe that drives on the right and hence the buses are left-hand drive. Bus Vannin operates about 24 double-deckers on routes all across the island. In
424-439: A mobile app in the first half of 2020, to be followed by real-time bus information. On 18 May 2020, in partnership with Transport for Wales (TfW), and its parent local council, Newport Bus transferred some of its routes to Fflecsi , a demand responsive transport service in the city, in which Newport Bus continues to operate the service but is commanded by TfW. The scheme is to end on 25 September 2022. Newport Bus operates
477-508: A network of services from Newport bus station throughout the city; services extend as far as Chepstow in the east, including three local services within Chepstow, Monmouth in the north, and Cardiff in the west. Route 30 to Cardiff is operated in partnership with Cardiff Bus . As of 4 January 2021, Newport Bus operates TrawsCymru route T7 from Chepstow to Bristol via Cribbs Causeway. As of 2020 , discussions are ongoing with TfW for
530-564: A route aimed at tourists. The buses are open top , and run on a hop-on hop-off sightseein route around the city; they are manufactured by Yaxing Coach . Since 2014, a double-decker bus owned by the City Shguttle Bus Company also provides public transportation in Nairobi . In Malawi , multiple companies utilize fleets of double-decker buses for intercity bus services . Modern Marcopolo buses run direct routes between
583-671: A triple standard for the double-decker bus: highbridge bus (urban Britain), lowbridge bus (countryside Britain) and 4 metres height coach such as the Neoplan Skyliner that can traverse Europe. Outside the British Isles in Europe double-decker buses are most prominent in Skopje and Berlin. The first commercial horse-drawn double-decker omnibuses were introduced in England in 1847 by Adams & Co. of Fairfield, Bow ; it
SECTION 10
#1732797926263636-630: Is one of the few remaining municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom. In 1901, the Newport Corporation took over the town's horse-drawn bus service, establishing a municipal bus operation. Motorbus services began in April 1924, although the corporation was prohibited from running services beyond Rogerstone and Langstone without the assent of local councils by the Newport Corporation Act 1925. This prohibition
689-626: Is the red London bus , namely the AEC Routemaster . Double-deckers in urban transport were also in common use in other places, such as major cities of India , but were mostly diminished or phased out by the end of the 20th century. However it has been maintained and remains common in Britain as well as Ireland and Hong Kong, while in Singapore and Dhaka they have been introduced and expanded into large numbers after British colonial rule. There are several types of double-decker buses as shown in
742-620: The Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive , who purchased 40 Metropolitans in 1975. Smaller orders were delivered to Greater Manchester PTE , who purchased 10 Metropolitans in 1974 for use on the Trans-Lancs Express service 400 connecting Bolton to Stockport , and South Yorkshire PTE , who purchased four Metropolitans in 1975, which were sold in 1980 due to reliability issues and high operating costs. The Scania Metropolitan
795-648: The Republic of Ireland , the majority of the buses operated in and around the Greater Dublin area are double-deckers, operated by Dublin Bus . There are 1,000 double-decker buses (second largest in Europe after London ) in the company's fleet of 1,008 (October 2019). The private operator Go-Ahead Ireland also operate a mixed fleet consisting of both double and single deck vehicles. Bus Éireann also utilises double-decker buses on some of its commuter routes, such as
848-664: The 1950s when buses in general started to be used in the main cities such as Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and Setúbal. The types used were the AEC Regent and later the Daimler Fleetline and the Leyland Atlantean, with Portuguese-built bodies. There was also one Leyland Olympian as a demonstration vehicle in Lisbon. In Porto, there were double-decker trolleybuses, produced by Lancia and with Dalfa bodywork, in use from
901-499: The 1960s and 1970s, major cities like Turin, Milan, Rome, Florence, Verona, Bologna, Rimini, Naples, Bari and Palermo adopted Fiat double decker buses. The most common model was the Fiat 412 Aerfer , and in 1961 it was replaced by Fiat 413 Viberti Monotral CV61. Liemobil operates four double decker MAN A39 buses on service 11 between Sargans , Switzerland and Feldkirch, Vorarlberg , Austria and on other services 12, 13 and 14 in
954-574: The Bristol and Volvo buses, and would be withdrawn by 1983. China Motor Bus of Hong Kong were the only bus operator outside the United Kingdom to purchase Metropolitans, taking delivery of two examples in 1975, which were withdrawn in the late 1980s. Production of the Scania Metropolitan ceased in 1978, with the last examples going to Reading Transport, with two built to dual-purpose specifications with high speed rear axles to operate
1007-961: The Dublin to Wicklow service. Double-deckers are also common on some of the company's city routes in Cork , Galway and Limerick . More luxurious double-deckers are used on inter-city routes, such as the X1 Dublin-Belfast or X3/X4 Dublin-Derry routes. Double decker buses were in use on city services in Vienna between 1960 and 1991. They are used on services between Vienna and its airport, and also operated by Ötztaler Verkehrsgesellschaft (ÖVG) under contract to ÖBB-Postbus on service 4420 between Innsbruck and Lienz . Since 2020, two Scania UNVI Urbis DD CNG buses have been running on public transport lines in Ostrava . During working days on line 78. Over
1060-944: The London Transport and Tyne & Wear Transport fleets, Kingston upon Hull City Transport took 30 Metropolitans from 1975 to 1978, later adding second-hand Metropolitans from Merseyside Transport to their fleet, and Newport Transport bought 10 Metropolitans in 1975, which were withdrawn from service in 1985. The only Scania Metropolitans to be purchased by a subsidiary of the National Bus Company were purchased by Maidstone & District Motor Services in 1975, with five delivered for comparative trials alongside Bristol VRTs and Volvo Ailsa B55s . When trials began in 1976, these Metropolitans were based at Hastings before being onto Chatham in 1977, and despite proving popular with both Maidstone & District staff and passengers, proved more expensive to run compared to
1113-698: The SL 676 Stockholm Östra - Norrtälje line. Norrtälje is located around 70 km north of Stockholm . 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
SECTION 20
#17327979262631166-516: The Scania Metropolitan was popular with four out of five of the United Kingdom's passenger transport executives . However, they lived short lives with these operators due to reliability and fuel cost issues and were mostly withdrawn prior to bus deregulation in 1986. The Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive were the second-largest operator of Metropolitans, purchasing 140 of the type from 1975 to 1977. Most of these Metropolitans were withdrawn and sold for scrap due to corrosion issues, although
1219-586: The UK Department for Transport (DfT) and commercial partnerships, a further 16 Yutong vehicles were ordered in April 2021. On 1 March 2020, the company introduced the Ticketer contactless payment system on all its routes, a system used by Cardiff Bus since 2018, enabling payment by card and NFC -enabled devices, as well as recognition of QR codes from paper day/week tickets. The company also aims to provide ticket sales and journey tracking though
1272-474: The UK are between 9.5 metres (31 ft 2 in) and 11.1 metres (36 ft 5 in) long, the latter being more common since the mid-1990s, though there are three- axle 12-metre (39-foot-4-inch) models in service with some operators. Double-decker coaches in the UK have traditionally been 12 metres (39 feet 4 inches) in length, though many newer models are about 13.75 metres (45 ft 1 in). The red double-decker buses in London have become
1325-588: The autumn of 2019, Public Transport of Turku , also known as Föli , was the first city to officially incorporate double-decker buses into local traffic. 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. The first double-decker motor bus in Paris, the Schneider Brillié P2, appeared in 1906. It
1378-744: The capital, built in China 's Zhengzhou Yutong factory. The buses were put into operation on 8 September 2011, coinciding with the day of Macedonian independence. This model of bus has capacity for 80 passengers. They represent most of the 312 buses currently in operation by the Skopje public transport company. 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 . PKS Szczecin since 2021. Double-decker buses were introduced in Portugal during
1431-569: The country. It is only very recently that double-decker buses have started to be used in the Netherlands. On 10 December 2017 Connexxion put 18 three-axle double-deckers into service on route 346 between Haarlem and Amsterdam Zuid , a heavily used commuter route not served by rail. They are Futura FDD2s built by VDL Bus & Coach in Valkenswaard , are 14.1 metres (46 feet) long, and carry 86 seated passengers. Their introduction
1484-768: The express X1 service to London. A total of 661 Metropolitans were built. MCW launched the Metrobus in 1977, and Scania launched the BR112DH chassis in 1980 as the replacement of the BR111DH. [REDACTED] Media related to MCW-Scania Metropolitan at Wikimedia Commons Double decker bus A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They appear in many places around
1537-427: The imagebox below: Early double-deckers put the driver in a separate cab. Passenger access was via an open platform at the rear and a bus conductor collected fares. Modern double-deckers have a main entrance door at the front and the driver takes fares, thus halving the number of workers aboard, but slowing the boarding process. The rear open platform, popular with passengers, was abandoned for safety reasons, as there
1590-561: The largest double-decker fleet on continental Europe with 197 vehicles operating as of 2023 (compared to 484 single-deckers and 928 articulated buses). However it used to be higher: 1,000 in 1992, reduced to 450 in 2002. The city originally had double-decker buses at least since the 1920s. The models in operation in 2004 were 13.5 metres (44 ft 3 in) long and held around 95 passengers. The replacements, which are supplied by Neoman Bus , are 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) longer. The new buses are able to hold 128 passengers. During
1643-642: The mid-1960s until the mid-1990s. Double-decker buses were not in widespread use for normal service but were mainly used for sightseeing purposes. They were most commonly Portuguese-produced vehicles, including rebodies of regular service buses (for example, the Volvo B10R from Carristur), as well as some from former companies, such as the MAN SD202 from BVG Berlin, many of them still in circulation. The absence of double-decker buses on regular service lasted until 2011, when STCP acquired 15 double-decker buses, of
Scania Metropolitan - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-587: The mid-1990s, some double-deckers were operated briefly in Saint Petersburg . Double-decker buses were introduced in 2014 in Bilbao by the city bus operator Bilbobus . They are not the first double deck vehicles in the city as ex-London Transport Q1 trolleybuses were sold to Bilbao after the end of London trolleybus operations in 1962 and were operated until the system's closure in 1978. Initially, six vehicles are operating on Bilbobus route 56. They have
1749-445: The nation's two largest cities, Lilongwe and Blantyre . New double-decker buses are also in use on more regional routes, including those connecting cities like Mangochi , Mzimba , and Mzuzu . Newport Transport Newport Bus (the operating name of Newport Transport Limited) is the main provider of bus services in the city of Newport, Wales . A limited company whose shares are wholly owned by Newport City Council , it
1802-542: The network to form part of the South Wales Metro rail and bus project. The company operates Fflecsi services in two zones (1 and 26) centred on Rogerstone and St. Julian's respectively (overlapping in the city centre ), which replaced solely operated Newport Bus routes 1, 1B, 11A and 11C in Zone 1, and 26A and 26C in Zone 2. The service is a trial project , but was extended beyond the initial time frame for
1855-1020: The next two years. In Turkey , the Istanbul public transit system ( IETT ) runs 89 double-decker buses on longer-distance routes, most notably commuter buses crossing the Bosphorus Bridge linking the European and the Asiatic sides of the city. Double-decker buses are also used on routes to and from Taksim Square to far-flung western suburbs such as Büyükçekmece and Bahcesehir. Several cities in Egypt use double-decker buses as part of their public transportation systems, including Cairo. The MAN Lion's City buses, manufactured in Egypt in 2018, were introduced in Cairo to address provide greater capacity on its bus network. Red double-decker buses are also
1908-423: The turbocharged Scania engine when compared to the earlier Gardner and Leyland diesel engine used in many buses of the time, its smooth and quiet ride due to air suspension, and high fuel consumption, particularly an issue for operators when the price of fuel rose during the 1973 oil crisis . However, severe body corrosion and mechanical problems led these buses to have a short life in service. London Transport
1961-518: The type MAN A39 (as used in Berlin). They were introduced at an event by the company, named "Duplex Tour", on 26 February 2011 and put into normal service on the 28th of that month. These buses can be seen usually on route 500. Until 2011 double-decker buses were operating in the city of Barnaul . The double-decker fleet consisted of seven MAN SD200 and MAN SD202 second hand buses imported from Berlin. Those buses were used on routes 3, 10 and 17. In
2014-817: The weekend and holidays during the summer season on line 88. Since 1970, various operators of Copenhagen city transport were using double-deckers—originally Leyland , in the 1980s–1990s MAN and in the 2000s Volvo , derivates of model B7. Double-decker buses are relatively rare in Finland, but there are known to be at least four Routemasters in Finland: one in Helsinki , one in Heinola , one in summer tourist charter in Espoo and one in summer tourist traffic in Kuopio . In
2067-630: The world but are presently most commonly used as mass transport in cities of Britain , in Ireland , in Hong Kong , Berlin and in Singapore . The earliest double-decker horse-drawn omnibus appeared in Paris in 1853 and such vehicles were motorised in the 1900s. Double-decker buses were popularised in Great Britain at the start of the 20th century and today the best-known example
2120-708: Was a risk of passengers falling when running and jumping onto the 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. In the European Union , the maximum height for any vehicle is 4 metres, for motor vehicles in categories M2 and M3 and their trailers in category 0 and motor vehicles in categories N2 and N3 and their trailers in categories 03 and 04, in national and international traffic according to Council directive 96/53/EC of 25 July 1996 and in continuity of council directive 85/3/CEE. The United Kingdom has
2173-476: Was also popular with municipally-owned bus companies across the United Kingdom. Leicester City Transport was the largest of these, purchasing 68 Metropolitans in several batches between 1974 and 1977 to operate alongside their 35 single-deck Metro-Scanias, with all but a final batch of five Metropolitans in 1977 being delivered in dual-door configuration. Reading Transport , meanwhile, took 33 Metropolitans from 1975 to 1978, adding to these second-hand examples from
Scania Metropolitan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-468: Was designed to carry more passengers and to replace the horse-drawn double-decker omnibus. Like trams and omnibuses, double-decker motor buses included two classes of travel: first class inside the car and second class outdoors on top. But this type of vehicle was withdrawn in 1911 because one of them overturned at place de l'Étoile ; following this incident the P2s lost their upper deck and were renamed P3s. It
2279-682: Was developed that year and entered service on 20 February 2012. In October 2015, London added five all-electric double-decker buses - the world's first - made by Chinese firm BYD . The maximum permissible length of a rigid double-decker bus and coach in the UK is 15 metres (49 ft 3 in) with 3 axles and 13.5 metres (44 ft 3 in) metres with two. However, the total maximum dimensions, including trailer or articulated section, in normal circumstances are: Coaches are normally built to 4.38 metres (14 ft 4 in) high, while 'highbridge' buses are normally about 20 centimetres (8 in) taller. Articulated double-deckers are also allowed at
2332-626: Was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The contract expired in November 2020 and was not renewed; in 2021 it was announced that the service would no longer continue. There was formerly a second heritage route ( 9H ) but this ceased operation in 2014 due to low patronage and increased operation costs. In 2007, a hybrid-powered double-decker entered service on London Buses route 141 . By late 2008, more hybrid double-deckers from three manufacturers entered service in London. A New Routemaster
2385-472: Was found to be poorly suited to the structure of the Paris network, the stops being too close to each other, preventing people from going upstairs. Consequently, there are no Parisian bus routes using double-deckers. SITAC operates a service 5 between Calais and Sangatte using a double decker bus. In Germany , double-decker buses in Berlin are operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). Berlin has had
2438-558: Was incorporated on 10 March 1986. Initially named Newport Buses Ltd, the company was renamed Newport Transport Ltd on 9 October 1986, before formally taking over operation of bus services in Newport from the Borough Transport Department on 26 October 1986. In the 1980s, Newport Transport was the largest operator of Scanias in the United Kingdom. It also operated Renault 50 midibuses . The bus operation
2491-680: Was not entirely without issues since their route initially had to be diverted to avoid passing under a dangerously low tram overhead wire near the VU Medical Centre stop. Also in December 2017, Qbuzz introduced five double-deckers on its route 300 between Groningen and Emmen . These are Van Hool TDX27 Astromegas, also 14.1 metres (46 feet) long and carrying 85 passengers. The Macedonian government bought 217 Yutong City Master double-decker city buses for local transport in Skopje ,
2544-550: Was not until 1966 that the RATP re-tried double-deckers on two lines in Paris. A prototype built by Berliet (type E-PCMR), was put into service in 1966, with an order being placed for 25 vehicles. The first production car was commissioned on 19 June 1968 for line 94, Gare Montparnasse - Levallois. On 17 February 1969, line 53, Opera - Porte d'Asnieres was in turn equipped with this model. But traffic problems caused RATP to definitively abandon this vehicle in 1977, because this type of bus
2597-697: Was rebranded from Newport Transport to Newport Bus in 2011. After receiving a £1 million grant from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles in February 2019, the company placed an order for 15 fully-electric, zero-emission Yutong E12 buses. The first demonstrator vehicle, funded by the grant, began operating in August 2019, with the remaining vehicles entering service in 2020, the first electric buses to operate in Wales. Following additional funding of £2.8 million from
2650-420: Was removed in 1981, allowing then-Newport Borough Council to operate more extensive services. By 1985, the Borough Transport Department held responsibility for the town's bus services. Following passage of the Transport Act 1985 , which deregulated the UK bus network and required local councils to transfer the functions of their bus operations to commercial entities, a stand-alone company limited by shares
2703-412: Was the double deck equivalent of the Metro-Scania . It was based on Scania BR111DH chassis and the body was constructed by MCW , who claimed it to be built with 70% British content. The distinguishing feature is the asymmetric windscreen being deeper on the nearside to give the driver an improved view of the kerb, a feature which was carried over to the MCW Metrobus . It was noted for its performance from
SECTION 50
#17327979262632756-552: Was the largest operator of Scania Metropolitans, with 164 being delivered between 1975 and 1977. The Metropolitans were allocated to garages in South East London, later known as the Selkent operating district, but were all put up for sale in 1982 as part of wide-ranging cuts to London Transport bus services. Some continued in service with other operators for several years, including Reading Transport , Whippet Coaches , Charles Cook of Biggleswade, Black Prince Buses of Morley, Alec Head of Lutton and Camms of Nottingham. Outside London,
2809-583: Was then improved upon by John Greenwood, who introduced a new double-decker in 1852. 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 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 seating capacity ; they also may be safer to operate through narrow streets and round tight corners. The majority of double-decker buses in
#262737