Double Deckers Hit NYC

"The bus drew a fair number of stares during a demonstration on Monday, with reporters on board (most of whom chose to sit on top). But Howard H. Roberts, Jr., the president of NYC Transit, said, 'This is not just a show.'

He added, 'It’s not a movement to titillate the public.'

If the trial goes well, the authority will buy an unspecified number of double-deckers for an expanded test. The bus now being used is on loan from the ABC Bus Company, a partner with the Belgian manufacturer Van Hool. Each double-decker costs roughly $650,000, said Elliot G. Sander, the executive director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The agency is also considering a hybrid low-floor 'articulated' bus — with an accordion-like middle — that costs $920,000."