Adelaide to trial Scania double-decker bus

Scania has provided a new 88-seat double-decker bus to be trialled as a public transport option in the South Australian capital

The South Australian government has ordered a Scania double-decker bus to be trialled in Adelaide from July, with the move potentially leading to a new-look fleet of public transport buses.

The city currently employs both regular and articulated buses, with seating capacities of 47 and 67 respectively, but the Scania double-decker (see artist's impression, pictured) features a far greater 88-seat capacity.

A common sight in congested British cities for decades, double-decker buses shift significantly greater numbers of people in a vehicle that occupies roughly the same amount of space on the road, while also offering advantages in terms of fuel economy for the number of passengers carried.

According to SA’s Minister for Transport Services, Chloë Fox, the format is an attractive public transport proposition.

“Downstairs can seat 33 people including disability access while upstairs there is room for 55 more passengers,” she said. “There is also an option for Wi-Fi accessibility.”

Ms Fox said the double-decker Scania also represented a significant cost saving.

“With a price tag of about $700,000, the double-decker has almost twice the capacity of the $450,000 standard bus, but with the advantage of requiring only one lot of registration and insurance coverage,” she said.

“If the trial is successful, Adelaide Metro will begin contract negotiations to determine whether a local manufacturer is able to supply the new double-decker to meet our fleet standards.”

Adelaide is the second Australian city to trial double-decker buses; a trial is also currently underway in Sydney. Double-decker buses were once a common sight in the NSW capital, with the format used extensively from the 1920s until they were phased out in the mid-1980s.

Adelaide to trial Scania double-decker bus

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