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.
Europe 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 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.
United Kingdom (pictured) was the predecessor to the
AEC Routemaster.
Volvo B7TL with
TransBus ALX400 bodywork in England
Enviro400EV electric double-decker in
Chesterfield in May 2025 The first commercial horse-drawn double-decker omnibuses were introduced in England in 1847 by
Adams & Co. of Fairfield,
Bow; it was then improved 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 the UK are between and long, the latter being more common since the mid-1990s, though there are three-
axle models in service with some operators. Double-decker coaches in the UK have traditionally been in length, though many newer models are about . The red double-decker
buses in London have become 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 were finally retired from general service in 2005 because of the difficulty of accommodating disabled passengers.
Transport for London kept these vintage buses in operation on heritage route
15H until 2020, when it 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 had entered service in London. A
New Routemaster 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 with 3 axles and metres with two. However, the total maximum dimensions, including trailer or articulated section, in normal circumstances are: Coaches are normally built to high, while 'highbridge' buses are normally about taller.
Articulated double-deckers are also allowed at a maximum length of .
Channel Islands Tower Transit UK operates the Liberty Bus in Jersey, with buses.gg doing the same in Guernsey, both as part of
Kelsian Group.
Gibraltar ) on route 10 in Gibraltar In the territory of
Gibraltar, Calypso Transport operates using double deckers in red livery.
Isle of Man Bus Vannin operates about 24 double-deckers on routes all across the island.
Republic of Ireland In 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 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.
Austria 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.
Bulgaria Double decker buses are in service in
Sofia since 2024 for tourist and some express lines.
Czech Republic 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 the weekend and holidays during the summer season on line 88.
Denmark 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.
Finland in
Turku,
Finland 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 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.
France 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 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 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 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.
Germany , Germany In
Germany, double-decker buses in
Berlin are operated by
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). Berlin has had 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 models in operation in 2004 were long and held around 95 passengers. The replacements, which are supplied by
Neoman Bus, are longer. The new buses are able to hold 128 passengers.
Italy During 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.
Liechtenstein 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 the country.
Netherlands 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 long, and carry 86 seated passengers. Their introduction 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 long and carrying 85 passengers.
North Macedonia in
Skopje, North Macedonia The
Macedonian government bought 217
Yutong City Master double-decker city buses for local transport in
Skopje, 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.
Norway 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.
Poland PKS Szczecin since 2021.
Portugal Double-decker buses were introduced in Portugal during 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 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 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.
Russia in
Moscow, 1930s Between 1938 and 1941, and later between 1945 and 1948, a few double-decker trolleybuses , built by
Yaroslavl Motor Plant and based on
AEC 664T chassis, were operated in Moscow. Only 10 were built. 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 the mid-1990s, some double-deckers were operated briefly in
Saint Petersburg.
Spain 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 a capacity of 132 passengers - 80 seated and fifty standing.
Sweden Synergy double-decker bus in
Norrtälje, Sweden
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 the SL 676 Stockholm Östra - Norrtälje line.
Norrtälje is located around 70 km north of
Stockholm.
Switzerland 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 the next two years.
Turkey 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
Bahçeşehir.
Africa Egypt , Egypt 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 a feature of
Alexandria's bus network.
Ethiopia 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.
Kenya , Kenya A fleet of double-decker buses operate in
Mombasa, running 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 Shuttle Bus Company also provides public transportation in
Nairobi.
Malawi In
Malawi, multiple companies utilize fleets of double-decker buses for
intercity bus services. Modern
Marcopolo buses run direct routes between 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.
Morocco , Morocco In
Morocco, there are double-decker buses in cities like Marrakesh and Tangier.
South Africa Metrobus Double-decker buses are a feature of a number of transportation systems in
South Africa.
Johannesburg's public bus system, known as Metrobus and operated by the city, has 550 buses that run on 84 routes throughout the city. Of these, 150 are modern double-decker buses manufactured by
Volvo,
Scania, and
Marcopolo. The
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in
Gauteng Province boasts 113 double-decker buses among its public transportation fleet.
Golden Arrow Bus Services, the main operator of bus services in
Cape Town, is the owner of recently acquired double-decker
MAN Lion's City buses. Like in other countries across
Southern Africa, double-decker buses are often utilized by private companies for
intercity transport connecting major population centers, as well as linking South African cities with hubs in
Botswana,
Malawi,
Mozambique,
Namibia, and
Zimbabwe.
East Asia Mainland China BJ6128SHEVCA-5 plug-in hybrid double-decker bus in
Beijing Bus service Several cities in continental
China have double-deckers in regular use on certain crowded lines, while some have a few double-deck buses in use on lines which also use single-deck vehicles, e.g.
Nanning on line 704 in peak hours.
Guilin is leading city that operate double-deckers regularly in major routes; in its main street the double-deckers prevails and run one-by-one almost every minute. Besides Guilin and Nanning,
Beijing,
Shanghai,
Guangzhou,
Shenzhen,
Tianjin,
Hangzhou,
Wuhan,
Dalian,
Foshan and
Kunming also have those buses in service, particularly on routes during rush hours. Larger towns in the developed coastal provinces, including
Shaoxing,
Zhejiang province, use double-decker buses.
Hong Kong Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in Hong Kong The former British colony of
Hong Kong introduced its first double-decker buses in 1949 by
Kowloon Motor Bus. They have become very popular since then, and they are found in large numbers among the fleets of the territory's major bus operators. By law, double-decker buses in Hong Kong are limited to a length of . , the majority of buses running in Hong Kong are double-decker buses, and all of them are air-conditioned. Kowloon Motor Bus, which is the largest bus operator in Hong Kong, operates a fleet of 3,752 double-deckers as of 2017, representing 96% of its total fleet. ,
Citybus operates a total of 950 double-deckers which is also almost all of its fleet. Hong Kong also has a
double-decker tram system, the
Hong Kong Tramways, one of only three in the world and the only fleet which is all double-decker. Discovery Bay Buses, operates MAN Lions City A95s and
Volvo B9TLs, for routes such as
Discovery Bay to
Disneyland MTR Station. The
Volvo Olympian was previously used
New Lantao Bus, utilizes a fleet of 59 double decker buses, mainly from the
MAN Lions city A95 and the
Alexander Dennis Enviro400 Sunbus uses
wright streetdecks on routes around
Lantao Island and
Ma Wan Island Macau In the former Portuguese territory of
Macau, Fok Lei and its successor
Transmac used second-hand double-deckers widely from the early 1970s until the late 1980s.
Taiwan In early 1990s two tri-axle
Leyland Olympians were evaluated in
Taipei and
Taichung. The evaluation was unsuccessful and the buses were sold to Hong Kong for spares.
Japan at Tokyo station as "Dream-go" in Japan at Osaka station as "Seishun Mega Dream" in Japan By
Japanese law, vehicles are confined to maximum height and length. Japanese double-decker buses are mainly used for inter-city
highway buses (i.e., motor coaches), city tours, and charter buses. In 1960,
Kinki Sharyo and
Hino Motors manufactured the first original double-decker bus "Vista Coach" for
Kinki Nippon Railway (Kintetsu). In 1979, Chuo Kotsu, a chartered bus operator in Osaka, imported the
Neoplan Skyliner. Skyliner, and the other imported buses:
Van Hool Astromega TD824,
Drögmöller E440 Meteor, and a few
MAN coaches inspired Japanese bus manufactures, who developed three domestic models in the mid-1980s: "
Nissan Diesel Space Dream", "Hino Grand View" and "
Mitsubishi Fuso Aero King". They did not, however, sell very well as the ceiling was only high. Nevertheless, Aero King was sold for 22 years, but, being unable to meet exhaust gas emission and safety levels, production stopped in 2005. In 1982, Toei Bus operated Neoplan Skyliners in Tokyo, between Asakusa and Ueno to 2001. Joban Kotsu operated Skyliners in a trans-Fukushima route: between Iwaki and Aizu-Wakamatsu via Koriyama from 1983 to 1996. Since the 1990s,
JR Buses started to use Aero King for an overnight inter-city highway bus service named "Dream-go". The first Aero King in Dream-go, operated to "Fuku Fuku Tokyo" between Tokyo and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi with Sanden Kotsu, which was replaced with a "super high-decker" coach in middle of the 1990s, "Fuku Fuku Tokyo," and finally stopped in 2006. Japanese overnight highway buses are mainly equipped with a three-line, two-aisle (1+1+1) seat configuration with reclining seats. When this configuration is used on an ordinary coach, it has 28, 29 or 31 seats. When this configuration is used on a double-decker bus, it has 36 or 40 seats: the vehicle's price and capacity increase while operating cost decreases. JR Bus group mainly uses Aero King, Skyliner, and a few
Jonckheere Monaco (equipped with Nissan Diesel engine) for inter-city highway bus operations between Kanto (near Tokyo) and Kansai (near Osaka), which is named "Dream-go" (overnight express) and "Hiru-tokkyu" (Daytime Express). The other bus operators, inspired by "Dream-go", increased use of the Aero King for overnight inter-city bus service. JR Bus Kanto imported four
Neoplan Megaliner N128/4, leasing two to an operating partner (from 2003 to 2006,
Kanto Railway, since 2006 Nishinihon JR Bus). The Megaliner is long, and has 84 seats (with 2+2 configuration), and is operated on an inter-city highway route between Tokyo and Tsukuba, Ibaraki from 2002 to 2005. The Megaliner has also been converted for a low-price overnight highway bus service between Tokyo and Osaka called "Seishun Mega Dream-go," with special authorisation.
South Korea in
Goyang In 2015, a fleet of 20 double-decker buses was introduced for commuters making the journey between the capital
Seoul and its surrounding
Gyeonggi Province and nearby
Incheon city in 2015 as a pilot project.
North Korea Double deckers started running on Pyongyang streets in the latter half of 2000s.
South Asia Bangladesh Ashok Leyland The
Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation operates a fleet of
Ashok Leyland buses on the streets of
Dhaka and
Chittagong. The majority of buses running in Dhaka are double-deckers, numbering about 445 buses as of 2022. In 2002, 50
Volvo B10M/
Alexander buses were procured to operate in Dhaka and quickly making up most of the fleet, but due to a lack of maintenance and unavailability of spare parts, they were slowly taken off the roads before being completely phased out in 2010. The BRTC has tried unsuccessfully to have them repaired and brought back to service. The company instead purchased 290 double-decker vehicles from Ashok Leyland of India as a replacement. BRTC had about 399 double-deckers as of 2012. In 2018, the BRTC acquired 300 buses from Ashok Leyland. In 2020, Indonesian bus manufacturer CV Laksana exported 10 luxury double decker coaches to Bangladesh. These buses were built atop a Scania chassis.
India EiV 22 double-decker bus operated by KSRTC in Kerala, India In India, cities such as
Hyderabad,
Bangalore,
Lucknow,
Delhi, and
Kolkata had double deckers for a while before discontinuing them. In Delhi, double-deckers were discontinued from service around 1986. Hyderabad operated them until 2003, until it was revived for strictly touristic purposes in 2023.
Chennai's
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) had a small fleet of double-decker buses, mostly in the high-density, longer distance routes. They operated from 1975 before being wound up. They were briefly reintroduced in 1997 and were operated till 2008.
Mumbai has had double-decker buses since 1937, being the first Indian city to have had it during British colonial period, and it has since become an iconic symbol of the city. About 900 double-deckers were in operation in (then called) Bombay during the 1960s and these buses were modelled like London's, but the numbers went into decline in the 1990s. The
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which operates the city's buses, phased out the legacy double deckers in 2023 in favour of modern ones.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is operating double deckers in
Thiruvananthapuram and
Kochi cities. They are modelled on the London buses.
Ashok Leyland Titan double decker buses are used in all cities. Articulated double-decker buses from Ashok Leyland were used till they were phased out in the early 1990s as they were thought to be unsuitable for city traffic. In 2020,
West Bengal Transport Corporation reintroduced double decker buses in Kolkata after an absence of 30 years, on routes where wide road space was available, i.e. no over-head cables, low bridges or flyovers. In 2022,
Ashok Leyland subsidiary
Switch Mobility introduced its electric double decker, the EiV22 in India. The bus was subsequently inducted into the fleets of •
BEST in
Mumbai •
TSRTC in
Hyderabad •
TMC in
Tirupati •
Ama Bus in
Bhubaneswar and
Puri •
KSRTC in
Thiruvananthapuram and
Kochi As of end 2023, BEST has 49 of these vehicles in its fleet in Mumbai.
Pakistan Certain cities of
Pakistan including
Karachi and
Peshawar had double-deckers in operation from the 1950s until the late 1970s. In
Lahore these were
Leyland buses operated by the Lahore Omnibus Service. In November 2015, double-deckers were reintroduced to Pakistan but only in the form of a sightseeing service for tourists, operated by Tourism Development Corporation of the Punjab (TDCP), under the name Sightseeing Lahore. The vehicles were imported from China. TDCP started a sightseeing tour in
Islamabad and
Rawalpindi in 2020 using the same double-decker vehicles. In
Karachi, double-decker bus operations were revived by the
Peoples Bus Service on the route from
Malir Halt to
Tower in 2026.
Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka] In the 1950s, double-decker buses of the South Western Bus Company plied on the Galle Road in
Colombo,
Sri Lanka. These were taken over by the
Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) when all bus services were nationalised in 1958. Beginning around 1959, large numbers of second-hand double-decker buses of the RT, RTL and RTW classes were imported by the CTB from London Transport, and ran in their original red livery with the oval CTB logo painted on the sides. These buses were phased out beginning in the mid-1970s, and none remain in service. Later, around 1985, 40 ex-London Routemaster entered service. One Routemaster bus is run by the
Sirasa TV and radio station. Today's buses in Sri Lanka include
AEC Routemaster (Currently phased out in order to make way for
Volvo B9TL/
East Lancs Nordic and incoming First Western
Dennis Trident 2/
Plaxton President - 2001/02),
MCW Metrobus (including 12m parts), Leyland Atlantean, and Dennis Trident 2 (1999/2000), plus some of the
Volvo B7TL/
East Lancs Vyking and Volvo B9TL/East Lancs Nordic buses.
Southeast Asia Indonesia double-decker city tour bus passing through landmarks and points of interest in Jakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia first operated its double-decker bus fleet in 1968, with
Leyland Titan double-decker bus first operated in
Jakarta. The double-decker bus service linked Salemba in Central Jakarta with
Blok M area in South Jakarta from 1968 to 1982. Between 1984 and 1996, the Jakarta municipal bus service, Perusahaan Umum Pengangkutan Penumpang Djakarta (Perum PPD) operated a fleet of 180
Volvo B55 double-decker buses, connecting various corners in the city. The double-decker bus service ceased to operate in 1996 due to aging fleet, lack of spare parts, and there are no plan to renew the double-decker fleet in Jakarta. By that time, the remnant of double-decker bus body were sold and repurposed as bus-themed clothing store in Blok M and restaurant in Senayan (now
SCBD) area, but now the establishment has been demolished. By the early 2000s, the PPD has shifted their bus fleet from European built double-decker buses to cheaper second-hand Japanese buses and imported articulated buses from China. By that time, the double-decker seems to be lost in favour of
articulated bus, which provides more exit and entry points to accommodate faster embarkment. By 2004 the
TransJakarta bus rapid transit began its service in Jakarta, but uses no double-decker bus and chosen conventional and articulated buses instead. Since February 2014, the Jakarta Government provides free double-decker bus tours that offers sightseeing in Central Jakarta. The buses' route covers tourist attractions, such as
Monas,
Istiqlal Mosque, the
Cathedral,
National Museum,
Sarinah, and
Plaza Indonesia, as well as
Grand Indonesia shopping centres. As 2016 there are 18 double-decker buses in Jakarta, and the service is expanded to include
Kota Tua and
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in
Senayan area via
Sudirman avenue. Other than the capital Jakarta, there are some cities in Indonesia that have operated double-decker buses, mostly as city sightseeing tour service. They are
Bandung,
Semarang and
Surakarta. The
Bandros is a double-decker tourist bus operating in Bandung since 2014. After the completion of
Trans-Java highway section connecting Jakarta and Surabaya in 2018, some
intercity bus services began operating fleet of double decker buses. This choice was due to a larger capacity and the available seat space for a more comfortable journey across Java. Previously, the problem with operating intercity double-decker buses was the steep and narrow roads of mountainous interior on Java island. The Trans-Java highway enables a rather straight and even road terrain for smooth travel between major cities in Java.
Malaysia Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC during a test run in Cheras, Malaysia
Malaysia has historically seen the use of double-decker buses in mass transit to varying degrees, but were significantly limited in use due operational costs and constrained space. Early double-decker municipal buses primarily existed in
Malaya within the
Kuala Lumpur area of
Selangor and
George Town, Penang between the late 1940s and the early 1960s, when double-deckers were eventually withdrawn in favour of cheaper and more agile single-deck buses. The earliest recorded use of double-deckers by Malayan bus companies was in Selangor in 1948 when the Toong Fong Omnibus Company acquired two
Park Royal-built
Guy Arab IIIs at a cost of
M$40,000 each; the
General Transport Company (GTC) followed by acquiring Park Royal-built
AEC Regent IIIs. While the buses saw service for over a decade, all of them were taken out of service for a variety of reasons and were never replaced with new double-deckers; the buses were often obstructed by narrow streets, trees, low bridges, and increasing overhead wires, while passengers eventually favoured staying on the lower deck of the bus; the cost of operating the buses was also higher due to a local vehicle tax calculated based on the number of seats of a taxed vehicle. One Toong Fong double-decker was burned in the late-1950s by
communist insurgents, while the remaining double-deckers were ultimately disused by the mid-1960s due to age. The successor of the GTC,
Sri Jaya, experimented with a reintroduction of double-deckers in 1989 by leasing a
Singapore-assembled, 102-seat
Leyland Olympian for use within Kuala Lumpur for 6 months, but found that street conditions were problematic as before and discontinued the use of the bus after the trial. In
George Town, Penang, five retired
AEC C1-class double-decker trolleybuses were procured in 1956 by the
George Town Municipal Transport from
London Transport as an experiment for the possible use of double-decker buses in George Town. Poor performance results and the advancing ages of the buses, coupled with efforts to replace the entire trolleybus fleet with single-deck diesel-powered buses in the 1960s, led to the withdrawal of the only double-deck buses in early Penangite public transport. Following increasing public bus ridership, more open roadways and the feasibility of operating double-deck Hop-On Hop-Off tourist buses within Kuala Lumpur,
Prasarana Malaysia purchased 40 (revised from an earlier 111)
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC double-decker buses in 2014 to serve high volume
Rapid KL Rapid Bus routes; with a capacity of 108 passengers each, it is double that of a contemporary single-deck bus in the fleet. The first five buses of the batch entered service in September 2015; with the rest of the fleet gradually added into service in the following months. In November 2019, Prasarana ordered a further 90
Gemilang Coachworks-bodied
Volvo B8Ls as part of Rapid KL's bus fleet replacement programme, with the first batch of buses entering service in June 2020. Feasibility studies were also conducted by Prasarana in 2015 on the reintroduction of double-deckers in Penang through
Rapid Penang's bus service. By August 2016, a fleet of three Rapid Penang Enviro500 MMCs were officially launched into service, with a total of 33 buses planned. Although plans were reaffirmed in 2017 to expand the double-decker fleet by 30, delays in procurement led to the initial Enviro500 MMC fleet's quiet withdrawal from service by 2018 and transfer to the Rapid KL fleet due to operational issues; new Rapid Penang Enviro500 MMCs would reenter service in 2022. Beyond mass transit, long-distance
coach operators have widely adopted double-decker coaches since the late-2000s in response to growing demand for intercity travel, as expressways and outlying bus stops lack physical obstacles that plagued urban bus services.
Singapore There are currently over 2,000 double-deckers in operation in
Singapore.
Leyland Olympian 3-axle bus as preserved in the UK after its retirement from Singapore in 2013 In October 1953, a single
AEC Regent III double-decker from the fleet of the
Kuala Lumpur-based General Transport Company was sent to Singapore for demonstration. It was used on service by the
Singapore Traction Company for two weeks. After that, it was inspected by two Chinese-owned bus companies, and then sent back to Kuala Lumpur. No orders for double deckers were followed all the way until the 1970s.
Sentosa was already operating several ex-London double decker buses such as the
AEC Regent III RT,
Leyland Titan RTL from 1975 to the early 1980s and subsequently
Leyland Olympian from Bexleybus from 1991 to 2007. They were followed by Volvo B7R Open Top double deckers from 2006 to 2015 until they were modified and converted back to single-deck. The first bus route to Sentosa, service 123 also had used double decker buses from 30 July 2017. Normal double-decker buses were re-introduced into the
Singapore's public bus system on 13 June 1977 when Singapore Bus Service (SBS, present-day
SBS Transit), introduced 20
Leyland Atlantean AN68 buses on route 86 which was launched by then-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Communications
Ong Teng Cheong that day, with the success, SBS had purchased 500 Leyland Atlantean AN68, 200
Mercedes-Benz O305 and 200
Leyland Olympian double decker buses until 1986 with the Alexander R-type body, while also trialing several demonstrators such as the
Volvo B55,
Dennis Dominator,
Scania BR112DH and
Volvo B10MD Citybus concurrently. The next batch of double-deck buses was introduced from 1984 to 1986 and consists of the
Mercedes-Benz O305 and the
Leyland Olympian, both of which were bodied by
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders with an R-type body. In 1993, the first air-conditioned (as opposed to the average length then) double-decker bus, the
Leyland Olympian 3-axle was launched as the "Superbus". The original 200 "Superbuses" were followed by an additional 471
Volvo Olympian 3-axle "Superbuses" and 100 non air-conditioned
Volvo Olympian buses from 1994 to 2000. The
Volvo B10TL Super Olympian, the first stepless, ultra-low-floor "Superbus", was launched in 1999 while 20 low-floor
Dennis Trident 3 buses followed in 2001. The first wheelchair-accessible double-decker buses, the
Volvo B9TL, were introduced in 2006; SBS Transit's monopoly on double-decker buses in Singapore ended in 2014 when rival
SMRT Buses ordered 201
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mark III buses and were succeeded by 15 more buses. These Enviro500 buses where similar to those delivered to Hong Kong. It was followed up with 16
MAN ND323F A95 buses in 2015, and as of 2023, 542 double deckers are in service. Those are being ordered by LTA, and newer units introduced from 2018 onwards are also
Euro 6-compliant and are equipped with USB charging ports and
Passenger Information Display System (PIDS). is one of the newest double-decker buses purchased for the
Bus Contracting Model. Some of the existing double-deckers owned by SMRT Buses and SBS Transit were transferred to new operators
Tower Transit and
Go-Ahead under the
Bus Contracting Model. Subsequent orders of Volvo B9TL and MAN A95 buses are being made by the
Land Transport Authority, are painted in a lush green livery (rather than the operator-specific liveries of SMRT and SBS Transit), and are used by all operators. Double-decker units are prohibited on certain services due to height restrictions, narrow roads and width restrictions. In March 2017, the first three-door, two-staircase 12.8 metre-long double-decker bus in Singapore was introduced by Tower Transit with the registration plate SG5999Z for a six-month trial period. After the trial, the bus was transferred to SBS Transit. The trial was successful and the
Land Transport Authority purchased another 100 3-door and 2 staircase 12.5 metre-long double-decker buses of the
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC and the
MAN A95 Mark IV builds in April 2019. In April 2018, SBS Transit introduced into service a single
Volvo B8L registered as SG4003D. another 10
Yutong E12DD electric double-decker buses were introduced in October 2020. Outside public bus operations, open-top buses are also operated by
Big Bus Tours. The
New Routemaster from London also visited Singapore twice; once in 2014 and another in 2016.
Philippines in
Bukidnon Presently double-decker buses are used by the
Mall of Asia Arena (
Higer KLQ6119GSE3 B91H-series) and the
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (
King Long XMQ6110GS). Former operators were Manila Motor Company (Matorco), which introduced such buses to the Philippines, and the
Metro Manila Transit Corporation (
Leyland Atlantean). The first double-decker bus in decades to serve the riding public in the capital region debuted in January 2016, serving the
SM City North EDSA-
Ayala Center route. It also sports PWD and elderly sitting, a national first. Those were technically the Premium Point To Point buses In the entirety of Visayas and Mindanao region,
Pabama Transport based in
Bukidnon province in northern
Mindanao was the first bus line to deploy double decker buses (
Zhongtong LCK6148H Navigator) which started servicing the riding public in June 2018. It was also the first in the country to field double-decker buses for provincial operations.
Thailand Double deckers are also commonly found in Thailand nowadays. Previously there are
Volvo B10M with Alexander bodies available.
Vietnam The first two double decker buses were used for route 06 of Ho Chi Minh City since 3 December 2005 in green color, like many HCMC buses at that time. There were rumors in May 2019 that these two buses will cease their operation, but Head of HCMC Department of Transportation confirmed that the buses will remain in service.
West Asia Iraq , Iraq in 2016 First used in 1938 and continued until 2003. They became an icon of the city of
Baghdad, and were brought back in 2012 with modern buses. A fare cannot reach more than 45 U.S. cents or 500 Iraqi Dinars. The double-decker buses in Baghdad were the first to enter the
Middle East and the Arab world.
Iran The first double-decker bus in Iran was assembled in 1959. One of the most popular double-decker buses in Iran was
Leyland Atlantean. There are other examples, tourist double-decker buses being one, in metropolitan cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, the Island of Kish, and more.
Israel Neoplan N122 Skyliner In Israel,
Egged operated double-decker buses from 1984 to 2013. First double-decker (built by
Neoplan) arrived to Israel on 26 August 1984, and during the trial period it performed 434 test drives on four different lines, passed 195583 kilometers and gathered public attention and interest. Double-deckers were found commercially attractive, and in 1988 an agreement between
Egged and
Neoplan was signed, ordering first 20 buses, with additional 30 buses ordered in the following year. The double-deckers started to arrive in 1989, and they worked on lines
Tel-Aviv—
Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv—
Haifa, Tel-Aviv—
Be'er Sheba and on
Eilat lines. However, both technical issues (in connection between the engine and the
transmission) and religious issues (
Haredi Jews had issues with women sitting above and in front of them) led to gradual decline in use of these double-deckers. They were removed from the last major line operating them, the Tel-Aviv—Jerusalem line (480), in the end of the 1990s, worked for some time on local lines in the
Shfela region, and in the beginning of 2000s were finally removed from service. Some of the buses were sold to an auto dealer from
Jordan, who in turn sold them to
Iraq and other countries of the Persian gulf. In August 2005, three double-deckers returned to service on
line 99 "Scenic route" in Jerusalem. These 3 buses were assembled from parts of 7 double-deckers that were still in storage. The operational cost for double-deckers gradually grew beyond the limit when repairs were still attractive, which led to their final removal from service in 2013. In June 2021, Egged began operating a double-decker bus on route 190 between
Rishon Lezion and
Tel Aviv. The bus is based on a Mann chassis and a chassis from the Spanish UNVI company, can transport about 90 passengers (73 seated) and is also accessible with a ramp for the disabled. Egged purchased 4 buses of this model.
Kuwait In the 1980s, KPTC took a number of
Leyland Atlantean's. Since Deregulation one of the other main bus operators Kuwait Citybus re-introduced 56 double deckers built by King Long in 2017.
United Arab Emirates double decker on route X25 running in
Dubai, UAE in 2023 170
Neoplan double deckers are in operation in
Dubai.
North America Canada equipped with bike rack, servicing Victoria, British Columbia, Canada In 2000, the cities of
Victoria and
Kelowna, British Columbia, placed an order for 10
Dennis Trident 3 buses imported from the United Kingdom, becoming the first cities in North America to use modern double-decker buses in their public transit systems. Several more orders have been placed since then, and as of 2017
BC Transit operates 69 double-decker buses, including Trident 3s and the newer
Alexander Dennis Enviro500s, of which 62 operate on the
Victoria Regional Transit System and the remaining 7 with the
Kelowna Regional Transit System. In Victoria, the buses are mainly used on routes that go from downtown to the suburbs, and to the
Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal near
Sidney, B.C. They can also be found on routes that head to the
University of Victoria and the Western Communities, and have proven to be very popular amongst both locals and tourists.
TransLink, the transit authority of
Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, tested 2 Enviro500 buses on lines 301, 311, 351, 354, 555, 601 and 620 between November 2017 and March 2018. It was announced soon after that 32 double-deckers will be purchased, arriving in 2019. On 30 October 2019, TransLink's first double-decker bus made its first ever run along route 620 from the
Bridgeport station in
Richmond to the
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. From March 2009 to June 2012, three imported
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker buses similar to those in Victoria were used on
OC Transpo express routes on the
Transitway in
Ottawa, Ontario. Delivered in November 2008, these buses proved to be efficient in reducing costs, but their height prohibited their use on many routes. Consequently, these three buses were withdrawn and sold to Victoria in late 2012 after a new series of 75 Enviro500 buses with a lower height that met
MTO regulations entered service earlier that year. As of 2018 OC Transpo has 133 of these buses.
GO Transit, a regional transit system serving the
Greater Toronto Area in
Ontario is the largest user of double-decker buses in Canada, with over 150 such vehicles in service as of 2017. Its fleet comprises Alexander Dennis Enviro500s in a single-door, commuter-type configuration similar to its fleet of
highway coaches. The first 22 entered service between 2008 and 2009, with its roof height limiting usage to the
Highway 407 corridor. 105 additional buses were delivered between 2012 and 2015 and feature a lower roof height of . The latest series of 253 buses, which is currently built in a local factory in
Vaughan, has a roof height of and is expected to replace most of the single-decker coach fleet by 2020, at which point 75% of the active fleet is expected to be composed of double-deckers.
Strathcona County Transit of
Strathcona County, Alberta, started a pilot project in September 2010 which explored using different high-capacity bus types to carry more passengers on high-demand commuter routes between Strathcona County and
Edmonton. This involved a one-year lease of an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 from the manufacturer. After completing a year of testing between September 2010 and October 2011, a firm order of 14 Enviro500s was placed in 2013 for their service between
Sherwood Park and downtown Edmonton, with the first arriving in late August. Five more buses were ordered in 2016, bringing the fleet of double-deckers to 19 as of 2017. Strathcona County Transit currently has 24 Enviro500s in their fleet.
Mexico double-decker bus on
Mexico City Metrobús' new line 7 running along Calzada de los Misterios The
Mexico City Metrobús bus rapid transit system started operating a fleet of 90
Alexander Dennis Enviro500s on its new
line 7, along the city's boulevard,
Paseo de la Reforma, in February 2018.
Panama At least one double-decker bus.
United States US-specification double-decker bus in New York City, US double-decker bus in Downtown Seattle, Washington With the exception of
coaches, double-decker buses are uncommon in the United States. Several private operators, such as
Megabus, run by
Coach USA, employ double-decker buses on busier intercity routes. For publicly run transport,
articulated buses are generally preferred. Nonetheless, a handful of municipal operators use double-decker buses, primarily on the
West Coast. In
Davis, California,
Unitrans, the student-run bus company of
University of California, Davis, operates six double-decker buses imported from London. One of these buses has been converted to run on
compressed natural gas (CNG). There was also the prototype GX-1
Scenicruiser of
Greyhound Lines, which enters from the first floor: the second floor contains the driver's compartment and more seats.
Citizens Area Transit, the transit authority in the
Las Vegas area, introduced a fleet of double-deckers to serve the
Las Vegas Strip route in October 2005. The route is branded as "
The Deuce". As of 2009 it serviced eight lines. In
Snohomish County, Washington,
Community Transit operates 45
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker buses, which are used on commuter routes between
Snohomish County and
Seattle. An initial order of 23 buses went into service in 2011, and a second order of 17 went into service in 2015.
Sound Transit, another operator in the Seattle area, bought five double-decker buses through a Community Transit order and began operating their own fleet in 2015. In 2016, a joint procurement between three transit agencies in
Washington state ordered additional double-decker buses from Alexander Dennis. Community Transit would order 17 buses, with an option for 40, Sound Transit would receive 32 with an option for 43, and
Kitsap Transit would buy 11 of their own. As of 1 January 2020, Community Transit owns 52 and Sound Transit owns 37. Community transit purchased 23 in 2010 (10800-10822), 22 in 2015 (15800-15821), and 8 in 2019 (19850-19857). Sound transit purchased 5 in 2015 (91501-91505) and another 32 in 2017 (91701-91732). One of the 10800s has been retired, bringing the total for Community Transit from 53 to 52.
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC double-decker bus at
Eastern Washington University In
San Luis Obispo, California, SLO Transit tested a double-decker bus in late 2008 to see if it would alleviate the over-crowdedness of
Route 4. The borrowed bus has been returned, and SLO Transit has purchased one double-decker bus of its own using a combination of Federal, State and local funding. The bus went into operation on 8 September 2010. In
Los Angeles County, California,
Foothill Transit uses double-decker
battery electric buses as part of its commuter service to the Los Angeles area. Also in Los Angeles, SCRTD used Neoplan AN 122/3 Skyliners double-decker buses from the late 1970s until 1993.
New York City phased out double-decker buses in 1960. They briefly returned from 1976 to 1978, although they only ran in
Manhattan. In 2008 the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) briefly ran a Van Hool double-decker bus on several express routes. However, that year's financial crisis meant the end of the trial period. In 2018, the MTA tested another double decker bus, an
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 SuperLo, on the X17J express bus route between Manhattan and
Staten Island. However, the MTA has no current plans to purchase double decker buses. In
San Francisco, California, the
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency operated one
Alexander Dennis double-decker bus as a demonstrator between 12 December 2007 and 8 January 2008. The bus was running on some high capacity routes as trial. In California,
AC Transit began experimental use of a double-decker bus on the commuter route between
Fremont, California, and
Stanford University in 2015. On 3 December 2018 the company introduced double-deckers on its FS and J routes from Berkeley to San Francisco, and later added routes L and LA serving Richmond, El Sobrante, San Pablo and Albany. In
Spokane County, Washington,
Spokane Transit Authority took delivery and has plans to use 7
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC in 2025. The double-decker buses are planned to be used on routes connecting downtown
Spokane, Washington and
Cheney, Washington which serves
Eastern Washington University.
AppalCART, operated by
Watauga County, North Carolina, serving the
town of Boone and
Appalachian State University, debuted a double-decker bus on 8 July 2025 to alleviate passenger congestion on its network. It is
North Carolina's first double-decker bus in transit service.
Oceania Australia double decker bus in
Sydney, Australia bodied double decker in
Sydney, Australia Double-decker buses plied route services in
Sydney from the 1920s until 1986. Popular makers included AEC, Albion and Leyland. Disputes over one-man operation of double-deckers led to the phasing-out of this configuration. Double-deckers were thereafter limited to charter and tourist services. Double-decker buses were reintroduced to the Sydney area in 2012, with
Busways operating regular services from
Blacktown to
Rouse Hill, in Sydney's north-west. These were expanded in 2013, to traverse routes from
Castle Hill and the
Northern Beaches to Sydney's CBD.
Forest Coach Lines and
Hillsbus also purchased some. The
B-Line service uses an exclusive fleet of 42 MAN Lions City A95s.Forrest Coachlines also ordered 3 Gemaling-Bodied MAN A95s, and the Bustech CDI. Hillsbus operates 26 Bustech CDIs, and Transport Systems NSW took delivery of 3 Gemaling bodied
Volvo B8l, in 2022 CDC Melbourne bought 1
Volgren bodied
Volvo B9TL Melbourne by
CDC Melbourne to operate between
Werribee,
Wyndham Vale and
Tarneit railway stations in 2015. this bus was briefly transferred to Sydney, and painted in Hillsbus colours, but was never driven due to axel weight restrictions, and was returned to Melbourne, and is often used on the
route 190 Built from 2015 to 2019,
SkyBus operates 17 Bustech CDi's between
Melbourne Airport and Melbourne's
Southern Cross Coach Terminal. Double deck coaches were built by
Denning between 1988 and 1992 with
AAT Kings,
Australian Pacific Touring and
Deluxe Coachlines the main customers. The concept was revived in 2011 by
Denning Manufacturing.
Volgren fitted double deck coach bodies to
Volvo B10Ms in the 1980s for
Greyhound.
Transperth used to operate an unknown quantity of Denning double decker bus coaches, on a route between
Elizabeth Quay Busport and
Mandurah, but were phased out with the introduction of the
Mandurah line.
New Zealand bus at
Albany busway station Until 2013–14, double decker buses were used only by tour operators and for long-distance coach services operated by
Intercity Coachlines and
Manabus. They were not used for public transport on urban routes. In the 1970s a number of former London double decker buses were imported for museums, such as the
Museum of Transport and Technology who used
AEC Regent Low Height (RLH) buses to connect museum sites and for charters. Sydney double decker and more London buses of various models (
AEC Regent III RT,
AEC Routemasters etc.) were imported by charter and tourist operators and slowly became more commonplace. Bridge heights and shop verandas restricted the use of double deckers around New Zealand until congestion and high public transport use required some innovative solutions. A single double-decker bus arrived in
Auckland in early March 2013 for a trial, with more planned to arrive in 2014 if the trial proved successful. The
Scania K320UD bus, operated by
Ritchies Transport, began revenue service on 11 March 2013 on the well-patronised Northern Express services on the
Northern Busway between
Albany and
Britomart in downtown Auckland. In addition,
NZ Bus and Howick & Eastern investigated the use of double-decker buses on the
Dominion Road, Mount Eden Road, and
Botany to downtown routes. By May 2016, double deckers were running on the busway and on many other Auckland urban routes, operated by several companies, with more to be introduced. Four 87-seat
DesignLine double deckers started on
Waikato services in 2018. Since 15 July 2018, double deckers, including some fully electric models, have been operating in
Wellington. There are currently 51 diesel double deckers running and 10 electric ones. 34 of the diesel double deckers are euro 6, while the remaining 17 are euro 5.
South America Argentina In
Argentina, double-decker buses are the second most widely used means of transport for long-distance trips, surpassed only by aeroplanes. Double-decker buses are also popularly used by foreign tourists in
Buenos Aires where they're used in city-tours.
Bolivia In
Bolivia, double-deck buses are a common means of transportation for long-distance trips between large cities such as department capitals. These buses also connect Bolivia with different countries. The double deck buses travel to Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Chile. The buses are equipped with toilets, and several companies offer buses with large seats called Leito (Bus Cama) that can be pulled back and be shaped into a bed.
Brazil Double-decker buses, built mainly by Comil or Marcopolo, are common in long-distance services interstate and international connecting whole South America. It is possible to see VIP double-decker buses also connecting cities in the same state, such as
São Paulo City,
São José do Rio Preto and
Ribeirão Preto. Inside these buses there are one TV for each person and boarding service for example. Open double-decker are used for city tours (such as
Rio de Janeiro and
Bahia). In São Paulo, there was an experience of use for urban services in the 1980s, built by Thamco, but without success due to issues with the height of the vehicle. These buses are fabricated in Brazil and exported to many countries.
Chile The first double-decker intercity buses arrived from Germany at the end of the 1970s to serve national long-distance routes and international services, mainly to Argentina, for the Varmontt, Flota L, Chile Bus and Tas Choapa lines. Since the end of the 1990s, they have become the standard for interurban transport, due to the advantageous cost-benefit ratio for transport companies. During the decades of 2000 and 2010, the heyday of this means of transport was experienced, which has meant that practically all Chilean intercity bus companies have these buses, this time not of European origin but with bodies in Brazil, Peru, Argentina and some of Chinese Origin. However, on several occasions, the safety and low comfort provided by these vehicles have been a strong subject of discussion; however, the increase in passenger capacity makes them quite profitable for interurban companies. On 9 March 2017, the British Embassy in Chile reached an agreement with the Ministry of Public Transport in Santiago to test double-decker buses for public transport. That day the first bus, an
Alexander Dennis Enviro500 was tested on the streets of Santiago for six weeks. On 26 February 2019, it was announced that another double-decker bus, a
Wrightbus Streetdeck will start to be used in a particular route in Central Santiago. On that day the first bus was tested on Santiago roads. On 17 August 2023, the first fleet of 10
BYD electric double-decker buses disembarked for public transport that will travel the streets of Santiago de Chile, they are the first double-decker electric buses that currently operate in America and in October 2023 they will be operational to integrate into the
public transport network of the Chilean capital.
Ecuador - World Heritage Site by
UNESCO Double-decker buses are used in city-tours in Quito, Cuenca and parts of the coast. They are very popular in the touristic district of the Historic District in Quito. Double-decker buses are common on long distance interurban trips.
Peru Double-decker buses are common on long distance interurban trips to main cities of the country. Open top double-deckers are used in city tours in downtown Lima and in the tourist district of Miraflores. Pio Delgado Arguedas bought 300 Greyhound buses and was the distributor of the buses in South America and Mexico. He also created TEPSA, and was the owner for years until he sold his company.
Uruguay Since the 1990s, Uruguay long-distance bus service operators have operated Brazilian double-deckers. Two AEC Routemasters were imported in the 1970s for urban tourism services – one is now held by the transport heritage group ERHITRAN. In the 2010s
Montevideo had an urban tourism circuit using open roof Argentinian double-deckers (suspended with the COVID-19 lockdowns). ==Triple-decker buses==