One or Two?

[HR2]

Is it me or does the double deck bus seem to be a dying breed? No matter where you go in the country DD bus's seem to be outnumbered by single deck vehicles nowadays.

 

[RJ]

I think you should take a trip to Central London...

 

[Mojo]

Certaintly not the case here in Bristol, and the majority of the TWM fleet seems to be doubles.

 

[ChrisCooper]

It depends on companies really. First did go through a period of being very anti double decker, in particular between the corporatisation and te emergance of low floor double deckers. Oviously London is an exception, but AFAIK you'll find very few late step enterance 'deckers at first that havn't come from London. These days they do seem to be getting more double deckers though, but don't seem as keen on them as other companies. The same could be said about minibuses though. The other big companies on the other hand seem to have kept similar numbers of double and single deckers for a while. Small companies rarely use double deckers for service bus work anyway. Oviously their has been a reduction in the number of double deckers since de-regulation, although I think it as just about leveled out. For one thing, I think their is a cost aspect, in that you have to pay 2 drivers to drive a 15min single deck service, but only 1 for a 30min double deck service, and the single deckers take up much more room at the depot. Oviously bendy buses are having an impact, but they have fairly specialised uses. One other impact is school work, which double deckers are falling out of favour on, due to poor behaviour. Oviously it's easier for the driver to monitor behaviour on a single decker than a double decker, and it as been realised that you can ram as many children onto a single decker as a double decker anyway by using 3+2 seats (whilst it's sensible for primary school children, I'm sure it doesn't work so well for older children, some who make a lot of adults look thin, although perhaps the fact that mummy takes them everywhere in the people carrier/4x4 every day is a factor). Ironically, if anything kills the double decker it will be Europe, or maybe more likely those in Britain who think the double deckers is a demonstration of our inward and backward thinking, an out inability to embrace being part of Europe. Of cource, the same people will use the same arguments as to why we don't run double decker trains.

 

[Tom B]

Oviously it's easier for the driver to monitor behaviour on a single decker than a double decker, and it as been realised that you can ram as many children onto a single decker as a double decker anyway by using 3+2 seats (whilst it's sensible for primary school children, I'm sure it doesn't work so well for older children, some who make a lot of adults look thin, although perhaps the fact that mummy takes them everywhere in the people carrier/4x4 every day is a factor).

DO NOT get me started!!

I have a HATRED of the Scania Irazar. This awful monstrosity is C70F and is regularly used to deputise for a H81F vehicle - aside from loosing 11 seats, they are NOT suitible for school work. The legroom provided is appauling, it would be OK for primary school kids but this is working a secondary school route. Seats themselves are tiny so they can cram as many in as possible (and make as much money as possible), you're crammed next to the person sitting next to you and have a seatbelt socket sticking in your other side. Then it's a coach type door - some idiot doesn't seem to realise how long this takes for 70+ people (including those sharing seats because there aren't enough to go round) to exit via. Aaaargh!

 

[Guinness]

Scania Irizar is a good coach if treated properly, e.g. C49 configs..

C70 - Your county council have funding issues.

Just reminded me that no buses are running on next Tuesday, industrial strike action!

 

[Tom B]

Council have / want nothing to do with it. If you're unfortunate enough to live in one area and go to school in another, you can shove off as far as the council are concerned. Basically in one area you get to school for 40p, in another for free, but if your journey crosses the border then woe betide you!

 

[Lewisham2221]

Scaniar Irizar with a C70 layout!? Very bizzare! I would agree that Irizar's are more suited to C49-ish layouts for proper executive coach workings than for school runs.

Surely a better option would indeed be either a double decker, or if that is impracticle, a purpose built, long wheelbase schoolbus?

 

[Sprinter]

Alexander-Dennis are offering a 3 by 2 layout in its slow selling Enviro 300 for schools with a capacity of around 65!

 

[Lewisham2221]

I've seen the school version of the Enviro 300 on the web somewhere, IIRC it has a slightly longer body as well to allow for an extra row or two.

 

[Tom B]

DDs would be much better. What is more strange is that when this bus does cover for an absent DD (read: it's being hired where they think they can make more money from it), they always have a choice of other DDs - several Bristols and an Olympian, yet select a too-small cramped coach!

 

[DLA365]

I think you should take a trip to Central London...

I think you'll find many of the double-deckers in central London have been replaced by flexible single deck buses.

 

[HR2]

I think you'll find many of the double-deckers in central London have been replaced by flexible single deck buses.

Bloody horrible things they are too! :mad:

 

[Tom B]

I suppose another reason that SDs are taking over more is that bus usage is haemorraging, so less capacity is required. Though that doesn't mean that a minibus is suitible for a main route! B49F is a single decker, B36F is a minibus!

 

[TAS]

I suppose another reason that SDs are taking over more is that bus usage is haemorraging, so less capacity is required. Though that doesn't mean that a minibus is suitible for a main route! B49F is a single decker, B36F is a minibus!

Actually a Midibus I think but First 'we don't care' Essex one once put a C29F no standing Plaxton Cheetah on my school route instead of a D/D seating around 80. Also instead of the D/D we get a 49 seater lance or some Wright Eclipse single decker. There are people who can't catch the bus when that happens. That is when it turns up, unlike on Tuesday.
Thomas