Double-decker Coaches

TopShop’s double-decker bus stunt in Oz

31/01/2012 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

Retailer TopShop have launched free double-decker bus travel service in Melbourne to help promote the opening of the new branch in Australia, and get shoppers through the doors. A traditional double-decker bus, more commonly seen on the streets of London where the TopShop’s flagship store is located, has been given a TopShop makeover to advertise the new store’s opening down under.

Customers can ride on the TopShop double-decker bus for free, with a timetable of the bus’s routes available in store and also online. As well as dropping off and collecting customers from the new TopShop store, the bus also runs along routes in other parts of the city taking passengers to popular spots including the beach and a nearby open air swimming pool.

As an extra incentive to encourage passenger onto the TopShop bus, the retailer is giving away travel tickets to each passenger that boards with one in every ten of the first 300 tickets issued winning an instant prize or a TopShop gift card of up to $500 value. In-keeping with the London theme, the travel cards are designed to look like the Oyster Card, the electronic travel ticket used by commuters in London.

Regular updates about the TopShop double-decker’s route in Melbourne are being made on the retailer’s Twitter and Facebook pages. The free bus is expected to run until February 24^th.

New London Routemaster bus showcased in the city

11/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A prototype of the new Routemaster style double-decker bus received a preview in Golders Green last week ahead of the bus’s official debut scheduled for next month.

Around 500 people took to the streets in Golders Green in North London to see the “Boris bus” as it’s been nicknamed, up close for the very first time. An eclectic mix of people including students, tourists and local councillors turned out to give the new double-decker the once over and deliver their opinion on the re-mastered Routemaster last Friday.

The American tourists who’d arrived to view the new addition to London’s transport network were given a talk on the history of the original Routemaster before boarding the new version for a guided tour.

A technical consultant from Transport for London was also on hand to offer information on the new eco-friendly bus and to answer any questions from the people who’d arrived to look over the double-decker.

The new Routemaster features two staircases to allow easy access up and down from the top deck, as well as the original open back platform which was one of the distinguishing features of the original Routemaster.

The first new double-decker London bus is due to appear on London streets on February 20^th and will operate on the number 38 bus route between Victoria and Hackney.

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Double-decker taken on a joy ride by former bus company worker

19/12/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

A double-decker bus was taken on a 20-mile joy ride in Dublin last week after a former employee drove the bus from the garage, taking the vehicle along a recognised bus route.

The staff at Dublin Bus raised the alarm after they witnessed the double-decker bus being driven out of the depot by the former employee of the company at around 9pm on Thursday evening. A number of motorists also contacted the Gardai, Irish Police, after they noticed the bus being driven in an erratic manner with reports that the vehicle was seen circling a roundabout five times.

Some sources reported that the runaway bus may have collected one or two passengers as it went along its usual route, although the authorities confirmed that the driver was the only person onboard when they eventually intercepted the double-decker bus.

After driving the double-decker along its usual route for almost 20 miles, the police succeeded in stopping the vehicle. The driver of the bus was then detained by the Gardai who took the man back to the station for further questioning.

The driver had not been drinking, and the double-decker had not been damaged or involved in any collisions with other vehicles, however the driver is being questioned for the unauthorised taking of a vehicle. The driver was reported to have worked for the bus company previously and had left voluntarily and had not been the subject of a disciplinary prior to his decision to leave the firm.

The matter is being investigated by the police and Dublin Bus.

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Calls for bus deigns for Arriva competition

16/11/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Transport operator, Arriva, is calling for their passengers to get arty and submit their designs for a new double-decker art bus. Whether you’re a professional or aspiring artist, or even a complete amateur, the competition is open to all so let your imagination run wild and completely reinvent the look of an Arriva bus.

The national competition is calling for people from across the UK to get involved, creating designs which may be inspired by their local area, or by anything they choose. There are no specific criteria detailing what your design must be based on, so you’re free to go with whatever inspires you.

All designs can be submitted to Arriva online via their website with the deadline set for the end of January. The bus operator have also included some detailed images of one of their double-decker buses on the art bus section of their site to help you create designs for specific areas of the double-decker.

The winning design will receive £2,500 to help take the design from the page to the bus with the finished art bus expected to tour the country following the makeover so the design will be seen and admired by thousands of people across the UK. The aim of the competition is to promote bus travel and encourage more people out of their cars and onto their local bus services.

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Justin Bieber takes double-decker bus ride in London

15/11/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

Teen pop idol, Justin Bieber, is the latest in a line of celebrity faces ditching the chauffeur driven car and giving London’s famous buses a try after he was spotted catching a lift from his hotel to the ITV studios on a big red double-decker over the weekend.

Only a few weeks ago R&B singer Rihanna was spotted catching the London tube to her concert at the O2 Arena, while Made in Chelsea star and daughter of Sir Phillip Green the Topshop the tycoon, Chloe Green, was snapped catching the night bus home with a friend.

Now Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber is the latest celebrity to endorse public transport, although his bus trip may not have been 100% authentic as there seemed to be a whole camera crew in tow, and also a few minders to keep over-eager fans at bay.

The 17-year-old star is currently over in the UK to promote his Christmas album release, Under the Mistletoe, and is reported to be starring in his own ITV special to advertise the release of the festive record. In fact, at the time he was spotted on his hired London bus, the singer was being transported from his West London hotel to the ITV studios, possibly to record material for the upcoming show.

The teen pop star evidently enjoyed his ride on the open top London bus as he tweeted a picture of himself looking relaxed and enjoying the view from the top deck with the caption, “London Town.”

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Driver of overturned coach not guilty of dangerous driving

11/11/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

The driver of the Oxford Tube coach service which overturned during a journey between London and Oxford last December has been found not guilty of dangerous driving by a jury at Oxford Crown Court this week.

However, the jury did find the coach driver guilty of careless driving, which carries a lesser penalty. 58-year-old Mark Woodward who was driving the coach service at the time of the accident was handed a £750 fine, ordered to pay £100 costs and disqualified from driving for 12 months after being found guilty of careless driving.

The double-decker coach was transporting 32 passengers at the time the vehicle left the slip road an overturned at approximately 11pm on Saturday December 11^th, 17 of whom were then transported to hospital to receive medical treatment.

The coach had been due to leave the M40 motorway at junction 8, but instead the driver chose to leave at Junction 7 which has a much sharper bend. It was after taking this wrong junction turning that the coach got into trouble, leaving the slip way and overturning onto the verge of the carriageway.

The coach driver was described as a very experienced driver who had never been involved in an accident previously, the coach was not breaking the speed limit at the time either. As a result, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty to the charge of dangerous driving, but did find Mr Woodward guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving.

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Coach company welcomes hybrid buses to mark its 75th anniversary

09/11/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

A coach and bus travel company from Stoke have introduced three hybrid buses to their fleet just in time to celebrate 75 years in business.

Bakers Coaches from Stoke will operate the three new electric and diesel powered low floor double-decker buses on their routes transporting students as part of their contract with Staffordshire University. As well as being the first electric powered vehicles to be operated under the BakerBus brand, the new vehicles are also the first double-deckers to be used by the transport operator.

The coach and bus transport provider has trialled a demonstrator Volvo hybrid bus on its route prior to taking delivery of their new eco friendly vehicles and found that the green bus delivered fuel savings of 20% on average; although Bakers Coaches are confident their new vehicles will be even more fuel efficient as the Volvo hybrid they trialled was a preproduction model.

The new hybrid buses will also benefit from having Michelin X InCity X2V3 tyres fitted which are made from a special type of rubber which helps increase the vehicle’s mileage further.

The leading regional coach and bus provider say they are delighted to be launching the new eco-friendly buses at the same time as celebrating their 75^th anniversary as this demonstrates their commitment to delivering greener and cleaner transport.

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First of the new London Routemaster buses driven off the production line

04/11/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

The first of the new style London Routemaster buses was driven off the production line today by the man who’s spearheaded their return.

Boris Johnson vowed to scrap the bendy buses and reintroduce a new version of the classic open platform London buses as part of his election pledge during his bid to become mayor of London in 2008, and today he delivered on that promise when he got behind the wheel to drive the first of the vehicles off the production line at the Wrightbus factory in Northern Ireland.

The first batch of finished hybrid Routemasters will be operated by Arriva and introduced to busy central London bus routes from early next year. Their return will signal the first time the Routemasters have been seen on the London transport systems since they were phased out in 2005.

Eight of the new style double-deckers will be launched into the city to begin with, all of which feature three entrances/ exits, and two staircases. However the rear exit of the bus will only be open at peak times as a second member of staff is required to ride on the bus to supervise when the back platform is opened.

The London mayor predicts that the new Routemasters will ensure London is seen as a “world leader” in terms of its public transport system, and is confident the environmentally friendly buses will be well received by the public as the double-decker have been designed with the city and its passengers in mind.

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20 new London tour buses to be made in China

02/11/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

An order for 20 new London tour buses due to be added to the London Big Bus Tour fleet in time for the Olympics next summer has been handed to a Chinese company.

The move has been seen as extremely controversial in the current economic climate with the government recently championing British companies in order to safeguard jobs, and yet the £5 million contract to create the new London sightseeing buses was won by a company operating in China.

In the past, the open-top sightseeing buses used on the London tours were made in Britain, however the latest batch will be shipped over from China once they’re completed.

The 20 new open-top double-decker buses will be used to transport tourists on sightseeing tours around the capital’s most famous landmarks as part of the London Big Bus Tours. The 20 new buses have been ordered to help cope with demand from tourists when the city hosts the 2012 Olympics next summer. The buses are expected to be up and running in time for the international sporting event.

Anhui Ankai Autombile based in Eastern China is the company responsible for manufacturing the new order for sightseeing buses for London. The company has previously worked with Big Bus Tours, supplying buses for use on their sightseeing tours in other parts of the world including America, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

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Low hanging branch rips bus roof off

31/10/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A bus in Bristol had its rood ripped clean off after being struck by a low hanging branch last week. Six passengers who’d been travelling on the top deck of the double-decker First bus were hurt in the accident, although their injuries were not said to be life threatening.

Strong winds were blamed for causing the branches to hang lower than usual which resulted in them striking the top deck of the bus, ripping the roof clean off the vehicle. The roof was spotted 100 yards from the stationary bus where paramedics were seen treating passengers on the top deck which was completely exposed.

The passengers reported injuries including cuts and lacerations to the face and head area mainly. All of the commuters travelling on the bus were given a medical examination by paramedics attending the scene, with two being transferred to a nearby hospital in Bristol for further treatment, one of whom was removed from the scene strapped to a spinal board.

One passenger travelling on the bus said the driver wasn’t to blame in any way as the vehicle wasn’t travelling at speed, he believed the accident was caused primarily by an extremely low hanging large branch which struck the bus, tearing the roof as it went.

The accident occurred during the morning rush hour just before 8am. Traffic had to be diverted around the area with the road closed off while the emergency services attended the scene. The road was reopened some hours later.

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