World’s first hybrid double decker
March 16, 2007
The world’s first hybrid diesel electric double-decker bus, built by WrightBus, entered service today (16 March) on route 141 in London. This inaugural service comes after the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, recently announced plans for an increased hybrid bus fleet for the capital. A leafy motif on the buses will help passengers recognise their environmentally-friendly status.
Ah, double deckers, good idea. What more efficient way to get a lot of passengers into a small road ‘footprint’. And yet Transport For London (TfL) have foisted the hated bendy bus onto London. 18 metres long, hated by drivers and cyclists, beloved by the large minority of passengers who don’t pay (because there are no inspectors and the rear door passengers are half a postcode away from the driver). My street (in East Dulwich SE22) is half full of parked bendy bus at any given time. Sometimes they even manage to park in two streets at once. Their one saving grace is that they no longer catch fire all the time. Is this really the only way to get wheelchair users onto buses?
