Tour Buses Obscure The Sights

“On a clear day, you can see” … well, thanks to many tour bus industry owners, you may not even be able to see across the street! There are eleven major tour bus companies in the Big Apple. All were required to retrofit their vehicles by January 1, 2007. A recent report from the Department of Environmental Protection concluded that only one company (Gray Line New York City Tours) of the eleven tour companies performed any emission upgrades "by the deadline" … and that was only on 19 of their 206 vehicles! To date, six companies have taken initial steps for vehicle conversion, three have taken no steps whatsoever and one has gone out of business. Double-decker tour buses can emit up to six times the pollution of city buses and other buses up to 25 times. All bus companies continue to operate without fines or any serious threat of license revocation. The DEP states it’s compiling a new report that will likely show better conversion compliance. Imagine the numbers it might have shown if city-imposed deadlines were actually enforced! However, it would seem in this instance that the concern for the greening of our city is less important than the "green dollars" tourism brings.

MTA Ride Is Up For Commuters

A new pilot project from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority brings an old idea back to New York City. The double-decker bus is making its return debut in Manhattan, running up and down First and Second Avenues between South Ferry and Harlem. Aside from sight-seeing buses for tourists, NYC residents haven’t seen a two-deck city bus in service here since 1976. To many on the streets, they’re a welcome and compelling sight. These buses fit more people and cost less to run and maintain. 81 commuters can find seats on this new bus compared to 64 on the "accordion" buses. They run on super- low-sulphur diesel fuel. With a price tag of $650,000, they’re also $250,000 cheaper than accordion buses. It’s time to trim the trees around NYC and "put the accordions on eBay." If the tests go well, the MTA has a winner here.

MTA’s Double-Decker-Play Revisited

New York City Transit is considering a trial program to run double-decker buses in Manhattan this year. Howard Roberts, NYC Transit President said, “Back to the future is, at least in terms of productivity, something we would also like to look at.” The MTA is now reviewing several bus models from companies worldwide. The last time these British-type buses were tried on our streets was back in the 1970’s. Today’s “go green” mentality and the unique appeal buses like these have on riders and pedestrians makes this a play, a winning city could use.