Why is the UK the only place where double deck buses are commonly used?

[RT4038]

Lisbon had double deck AEC Regents. Sri Lanka has operated many dds, mostly ex-London. South Africa certainly had dds, not sure how recently.

South Africa still has them, and lots of DD coaches too.

 

[70014IronDuke]

... Porto has a double deck route. ...

Ah, glad you wrote that. I was beginning to wonder if my vino had been laced with something way back when. Mind you, it was a long time ago I'm talking about - Porto had a wonderful metre-gauge network too back then ..... I certainly didn't imagine that!

 

[Strathclyder]

Really interested to hear that they were powered by Detroit Diesel engines.

Here's a little snippet of them at work in Dublin in the 90s:

Combine that throaty soundtrack with their boxy, squared off design, they were undoubtedly the most distinctive buses ever to run in Ireland.

 

[Robertj21a]

Ah, glad you wrote that. I was beginning to wonder if my vino had been laced with something way back when. Mind you, it was a long time ago I'm talking about - Porto had a wonderful metre-gauge network too back then ..... I certainly didn't imagine that!

The double deckers now running in Porto were new only a few years ago. There were far more in earlier years.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Think we’ve managed to provide enough information to advise the OP

 

[ian1944]

The Dublin buses depicted were certainly ugly, but I think that part of this was the sickly liveries of yellow/green and fawn (?). Some current liveries like Lothian's are good at breaking up a boxy shape, so something similar then may have helped.

 

[fowler9]

Sydney has some deckers too .

The Bustech CDi. When I did my big round the world trip with the ex we stayed with her family on the Gold Coast. The father of the family was the head electrical engineer (And I think project engineer) at Bustech. We spent a month with the family and made several trips to the Bustech factory. One time I was sat in the cab of one of the first two prototype CDi's revving the engine while the father of the family was checking readings on his laptop that was plugged in to the bus. The. We went out for a drive in the bus down the Gold Coast highway with his dog sat next to me on the top deck. Not the kind of thing many people do on their big round the world trip. Ha ha.

 

[flymo]

An increasing number in Auckland too, more to come this year....

 

[overthewater]

Here's a little snippet of them at work in Dublin in the 90s:

Combine that throaty soundtrack with their boxy, squared off design, they were undoubtedly the most distinctive buses ever to run in Ireland.

There sound like unhealthy dart. volvo ailsa still sounds better :P

 

[jonesy3001]

we have open-top deckers over here in malta and a double deck limousine that goes around the island.

 

[alex397]

South Africa still has them, and lots of DD coaches too.

Indeed, particularly in Johannesburg. I don't believe they have any on local bus services in Cape Town though (but they do have Optare Solos!)

To the OP, it is a question i've wondered myself. Although this thread obviously shows plenty of examples abroad of DD operation. Of course, there are not as widespread as in the UK. I do think there are quite a few UK routes where articulated buses may be well suited. Likewise, plenty of European routes where DD operation would be beneficial. Berlin is a good example to other European cities of how beneficial they can be if used in the right way.
This thread has reminded me of those East Lancs-bodied Volvos which operated in Copenhagen - I believe one of the reasons they were withdrawn was because so few passengers apparently went upstairs. Perhaps that is another reason they are not so common.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

One possible reason might be the fact that the railways in the UK tended to build brick-arch overbridges which tend to offer lots of clearance whereas many foreign countries used girder bridges - possibly because so much of the UK railway system was built before they became feasible.

Even today the UK is one of the few, if not the only country in Europe, not to have a statutory maximum height limit for road vehicles.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

One possible reason might be the fact that the railways in the UK tended to build brick-arch overbridges which tend to offer lots of clearance whereas many foreign countries used girder bridges - possibly because so much of the UK railway system was built before they became feasible.

Even today the UK is one of the few, if not the only country in Europe, not to have a statutory maximum height limit for road vehicles.

Construction and use regs do specify that a bus cannot be higher than 4.57m but yes, we don't have a statutory height (yet do for width and length)

 

[ivanhoe]

Our tram systems (upto 1950’s)were also double deck in most cases.

 

[Hornet]

Proposed new Livery for Buses operating Dublin Bus Routes (Dublin Bus and Go Ahead).

http://www.98fm.com/Public-Asked-To-Help-Pick-New-Dublin-Bus-Look

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

Construction and use regs do specify that a bus cannot be higher than 4.57m but yes, we don't have a statutory height (yet do for width and length)

are you sure about that? that translates to approx 14' 11" in old money. IIRC Volvo Citybuses and certain Scania DD's came in at 15' 3"

 

[Mutant Lemming]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/77933600@N04/40536622131/in/datetaken-public/

The Berlin ones seem quite low height and most buses in Berlin tend to be single deck.

Vienna used to have double deckers and the inter city route between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also used to be run with double deckers.

 

[ac6000cw]

Really interested to hear that they were powered by Detroit Diesel engines.

Here's a little snippet of them at work in Dublin in the 90s:

Rather off-topic, but it's interesting (given the common 1930s GM heritage of the Detroit Diesel and EMD 2-stroke engines) that Ireland ended up with both EMD-powered railways and (some) Detroit Diesel powered buses. Watching that video is a bit weird, since that DD engine noise was such a distinctive sound of most American buses and coaches that it seems odd coming from an Irish bus...

How common (in the past) were British buses powered by 2-stroke diesels - thinking about Foden and Commer 2-stroke engines mostly?

(45 years later, i can still recall the tremendous howling & knocking noise of a somewhat overloaded Commer 2-stroke engined truck struggling uphill at less than 10 mph...)

 

[randyrippley]

But lovely seating. Irish equivalent of Scania Metropolitans - wonderful buses from an era when average off-peak bus speeds were in double-digits. Unlike today's moulded plastic abominations that only Sofie Hagen could find comfortable. Though somehow, I don't see her travelling with the great unwashed. Diversity has its limits, don't you know....what?!!

Bombardiers? Wonderful?
What the heck? They had horrible smokey high revving two stroke engines that polluted both the inside and the outside of the bus. As for ride, they made the cart springs on the back of a Bristol LH look sophisticated

 

[class387]

Mostly low height double deck buses have been in Beijing since the 90s on especially routes with a fare surcharge, and have recently started to become common on regular routes too. This includes some electric ones.

 

[Dentonian]

Bombardiers? Wonderful?
What the heck? They had horrible smokey high revving two stroke engines that polluted both the inside and the outside of the bus. As for ride, they made the cart springs on the back of a Bristol LH look sophisticated

I must have plumped for a good 'un, and I sat upstairs if that makes any difference to ride quality. I should add hat it was nearly 20 years ago, and the bus in question was the only variation from a host of RH/RV class Olympians I rode on during a 4 day stay.

 

[padbus]

are you sure about that? that translates to approx 14' 11" in old money. IIRC Volvo Citybuses and certain Scania DD's came in at 15' 3"

Prior to metrication, the max height limit was 15'0". Most double deckers were built to a height of 14'6", though many outside London were built lower. The Volvo Citybuses were higher but must have come within the 15'0" limit.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

are you sure about that? that translates to approx 14' 11" in old money. IIRC Volvo Citybuses and certain Scania DD's came in at 15' 3"

I can’t recall any deckers being over 15’

Tallest I can recall being the London Volvo Citybuses (c.1989) that were 14’11.

Construction and use regs do state 4.57m - whether it was different at any time, I can’t recall but certainly not in the last 20 years.

 

[Strathclyder]

I can’t recall any deckers being over 15’

Tallest I can recall being the London Volvo Citybuses (c.1989) that were 14’11.

Strathclyde's Volvo Citybuses were rather lofty brutes too, coming in at 14' 7". Granted, they only reached this height after the original low-profile tires (275/70) were swapped out for bigger ones (295/80) not long after they first entered service after it was found that the buses' chassis would often ground on the road. This was possibly due to SBL's bespoke specifications more than anything else, but I digress; apart from the step-height being notably raised, no real issues were had with them from then on.