City streets could soon start looking a lot more like the streets of London as transit officials say they are considering bringing back the double-decker bus.
The buses would replace so-called "articulated" buses, the extra-long buses that bend in the middle like an accordian. NYC Transit officials say they are evaluating different models.
"We are currently looking at them to see if they could possibly replace some articulated buses," said NYC Transit Department of Buses Senior Vice President Joseph Smith. "There's less maintenance on a double-decker bus than there is an articulated bus and it generally carries the same number of people."
The MTA used double-decker buses as recently as the 1970s. Transit officials say they're looking at Fifth Avenue as a possible test route.
That's where double decker buses first appeared on city streets in the early part of the 20th century, when the Fifth Avenue Coach Company replaced its fleet of horse-drawn stages. The company ran both open top and enclosed double decker buses and charged double the five cent fare for its service.
Although they're common now for sightseeing tours, double decker buses are not common for regular bus service. They disappeared from city streets in 1953 and made only a brief return in the '70s.
The buses would replace so-called "articulated" buses, the extra-long buses that bend in the middle like an accordian. NYC Transit officials say they are evaluating different models.
"We are currently looking at them to see if they could possibly replace some articulated buses," said NYC Transit Department of Buses Senior Vice President Joseph Smith. "There's less maintenance on a double-decker bus than there is an articulated bus and it generally carries the same number of people."
The MTA used double-decker buses as recently as the 1970s. Transit officials say they're looking at Fifth Avenue as a possible test route.
That's where double decker buses first appeared on city streets in the early part of the 20th century, when the Fifth Avenue Coach Company replaced its fleet of horse-drawn stages. The company ran both open top and enclosed double decker buses and charged double the five cent fare for its service.
Although they're common now for sightseeing tours, double decker buses are not common for regular bus service. They disappeared from city streets in 1953 and made only a brief return in the '70s.