in
Bayreuth, June 2016 In 1964, the founder's second son, Konrad Auwärter, developed a
double-deck design for a service bus as part of his dissertation. The '
Do-Bus' design had extremely low weight, and could carry over 100 passengers. The double-deck principle was applied to coach design, creating a revolutionary high-capacity comfortable vehicle for touring. This vehicle became known as the Skyliner, and created an image for the company that differentiated the Neoplan brand from its competitors, and created interest in its products across Europe. A second manufacturing facility opened in
Pilsting in 1973, and a third opening in
Kumasi,
Ghana, in December 1974 introduced in 1979 took the Cityliner concept of passenger floor level above the driver, and extended the actual floor above the cab. This kept the height of the vehicle lower than a double-decker, at , but still allowed installation of toilets, kitchens or sleep cabins below the passenger compartment. Adoption of the Skyliner occurred mainly in California, along with smaller orders for
open-top Skyliners for sightseeing operators in Chicago and New York City.
AC Transit in
Oakland, California evaluated one AN122/3 in April 1983 but did not proceed with a fleet purchase. The
Southern California Rapid Transit District of
Los Angeles operated Neoplan USA Skyliners during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Antelope Valley Transit Authority also operated Skyliners on their Lancaster-Los Angeles route during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Open-top AN122/3s are known to have been used by Big Taxi Tours in New York City and formerly by
Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. in Chicago.
United Kingdom The Neoplan Skyliner also gained popularity in the
United Kingdom.
Stagecoach bought some
right-hand drive Skyliners during the 1980s to facilitate its new coaching division developed during the company's early years. In 2004, it bought 25 more N122/3L Skyliners for its modern coaching divisions the
Oxford Tube and
Megabus.
Trathens Travel Services of
Plymouth also bought some Skyliners in 2005 for its
National Express contracts. However, many of these were displaced following the 2007 accident with a National Express Skyliner (see below) - when some
Plaxton Panthers were bought in 2007, followed in later years by double-decker
Plaxton Panoramas,
Salvador Caetano Boa Vistas/Invictuses and
Van Hool Astromegas.
Japan The Neoplan Skyliner has also gained popularity primarily as a long-distance/overnight and sightseeing bus in Japan ever since
Chūō Kōtsū Bus (Osaka Prefecture) (
ja:中央交通 (大阪府)) bought its first such bus in 1979. A shorter-wheelbase N122/2 version measuring in length developed specifically for the Japanese market also appeared for smaller and medium-sized bus operators from the mid-1980s. Many Neoplan Skyliner buses in Japan use domestically produced powertrains and engines such as those from
Nissan Diesel or
Isuzu.
South Korea Some Neoplan Skyliners are used mainly as sightseeing buses in
Seoul and
Daegu. ==Accidents==