Double deckers in other countries?

[busesrusuk]

Buy America rules don't apply to private operators.

Buy America Act - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Mexico gets its own permutation of the Enviro500.

Thanks for that. I assume that most operators of the E500 in the US and Canada are a bit like our local authorities (municipals) and thus have some sort of state funding and would come under the umbrella of the "buy America" policy. Megabus/flixbus etc. as private operators would not.

I think that the Vegas operation which is RTC Nevada would be classed as a government agency as the service is funded by the regional government. However, the actual operation is franchised out to Keolis.

I would be interested to know what the differences are between the "North American" E500 and the "Latin American" E500 are. I suspect at least some of it would be things like the number and location of emergency exits. From the images of the Mexican E500's they look very similar to the US examples.

 

[XAM2175]

What is to be gained by going this route than buying the body and frame from one vendor? This is interesting.

For some markets it's a logistical consideration. It's quite common in Australia, for example, to buy chassis kits from European vendors like Volvo and Scania and Mercedes and MAN that are then assembled and bodied by Australian companies - which saves the European companies from having to design and certify a body to meet Australian regulations, and also saves the customer having to pay to ship an entire complete bus halfway around the world.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Many transit agencies rely on federal (not the individual state) government funding to cover part of the cost of buying buses, and this is what makes them subject to the Buy America Act.

 

[Zamracene749]

STCP in Porto run twin staircase double decker MAN LionsCity buses on frequent route 500 to Matosinhos. A lovely route, it hugs the Douro river then the coast and parallels the vintage trams, well worth a ride.

 

[Strathclyder]

For some markets it's a logistical consideration. It's quite common in Australia, for example, to buy chassis kits from European vendors like Volvo and Scania and Mercedes and MAN that are then assembled and bodied by Australian companies - which saves the European companies from having to design and certify a body to meet Australian regulations, and also saves the customer having to pay to ship an entire complete bus halfway around the world.

Going off on a Australia-themed tangent, bodybuilders there - most notably Volgren of Melbourne - have bodied chassis from European manufacturers for customers in the Far East, Singapore & Hong Kong among them; Malaysia & Japan have also had substantial intakes of vehicles with the company's bodywork over the years.

Hong Kong's most noted Volgren customer was Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB), all of their 39 vehicles having the Volgren CR223LD-style bodywork: 1 Volvo B9TL (the prototype), 17 MAN 24.310s (two of these were from a order Citybus had cancelled in light of the HK government placing quotas on how many franchised buses CTB could own/operate) & 21 Volvo B10TL Super Olympians (worth noting here that Singapore's SBS Transit took 50 of the 3rd combo).

All attached images copyright of GAKEI.com.

 

[Deerfold]

I've caught double decks in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 250S. I've only seen them on a handful of routes which mostly run at peak times.

 

[gka472l]

State Transport Authority in Sydney operates 38 MAN ND323F/Gemilang (2848-2885) on the B1 between the city centre & Mona Vale in the Northern Beaches area

Sydney Buses - B-Line buses in Spit Road, Mosman (2)

The B-Line Northern Beaches is fast becoming a fact of life! ST 2857 has just made the climb from the Spit Bridge

www.flickr.com

HTH

 

[capitalconnect]

If i am remembering correctly i think Stagecoach ran some double deckers in Africa at one point? I think it was - Kenya / Malawi / Tanzania / Uganda / Zambia / Zimbabwe - or one of these countries? Can anyone confirm exactly what vehicles they had over there?

 

[gka472l]

If i am remembering correctly i think Stagecoach ran some double deckers in Africa at one point? I think it was - Kenya / Malawi / Tanzania / Uganda / Zambia / Zimbabwe - or one of these countries? Can anyone confirm exactly what vehicles they had over there?

Stagecoach Malawi from memory, and the Duple Metsec bodied Dennis Dragons ended up coming to the UK to work in Manchester as Magic Buses.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

They were mentioned in the thread on British buses exported and repatriated:

There were some that came from Kenya as well.

https://twitter.com/TelkomKenya/status/664729515428585472?s=20

And looking at this photo, the steering on the Denis Dragons were a bit crap (probably because the rear steering axle was in front of the drive axle)

Stagecoach Manchester 15186 (M686 TDB ex KAG 060M (Kenya))

Dragon in Distress (Part Two). "Come on lads, put your backs into it..." The quick-thinking Stagecoach inspector, having already ushered the passengers onto another Didsbury-bound 142, enlists the help of two Metrolink construction workers (working on the track renovation in the background)...

www.flickr.com

 

[capitalconnect]

Stagecoach Malawi from memory, and the Duple Metsec bodied Dennis Dragons ended up coming to the UK to work in Manchester as Magic Buses.

They were mentioned in the thread on British buses exported and repatriated:

Many thanks. I knew they had some over there. Has anyone found any photos of them in Kenya and Malawi at all? What type of work were they used on? Was it local city buses? Or long distance services?

 

[gka472l]

Many thanks. I knew they had some over there. Has anyone found any photos of them in Kenya and Malawi at all? What type of work were they used on? Was it local city buses? Or long distance services?

Found via a Google search, which brings up a Facebook post which is publically viewable https://www.facebook.com/Malawi-Nya...photos/pcb.2202497276639554/2202496809972934/

HTH

 

[capitalconnect]

Found via a Google search, which brings up a Facebook post which is publically viewable https://www.facebook.com/Malawi-Nya...photos/pcb.2202497276639554/2202496809972934/

HTH

Thank you. That is very interesting to see.

 

[Deerfold]

Found via a Google search, which brings up a Facebook post which is publically viewable https://www.facebook.com/Malawi-Nya...photos/pcb.2202497276639554/2202496809972934/

HTH

A Twitter post showing them in Kenya, too:

https://twitter.com/carolynembithe/status/1284863838970683396

 

[capitalconnect]

A Twitter post showing them in Kenya, too:

https://twitter.com/carolynembithe/status/1284863838970683396

Thank you. It is so strange seeing Stagecoach buses in African countries.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Stagecoach operated in Kenya from 1991 to 1998.

In 1973 matatus (small buses) were legalised and started to compete heavily with KBS. OTC services were discontinued around 1990, leaving the long distance market fully in the hands of local private operators. An interesting intermezzo was provided for by the Nyayo Bus Service, a personal initiative of president Moi. NBS was founded in 1986 and operated bus services in Nairobi and several other cities. It grew rapidly but dissappeared just as fast and was gone in 1995. KBS services in Nairobi and Mombasa were sold to Stagecoach in november 1991. Though Stagecoach invested in some new buses and even brought doubledeckers back on Nairobi's streets, it was not able to face matatu competition and the many hurdles thrown up by the administration. Stagecoach sold out to local investors in october 1998.