The Taipei City Government on Friday unveiled the design of a fleet of eight double-decker buses that are to hit the roads by the end of this year.
A model of a double-decker bus was unveiled when the city government signed an agreement with San Chung Bus Co, which is to work with Sampu Travel Service and E-go Transportation Group to operate two tourist routes using the buses.
The buses are to have 49 seats on the upper level, the back half of which will be open-top, and 10 seats on the lower level, according to the city’s Department of Information and Tourism.
The two routes will take visitors to attractions in the city, such as Taipei 101, the shopping district of Ximending (西門町) and the National Palace Museum, on two-hour trips that have been planned and await regulatory approval, the department said.
The maximum ticket price is expected to be NT$300 per trip, the department added.
It will not be the first time the city has seen double-deckers.
Two were introduced in 1990 for trial runs on regular bus routes, but they were suspended because they were unable to run on several roads either because of overhanging trees or pedestrian overpasses that were too low.
Taipei is not the only city in the nation looking to operate double-decker tourist buses — which are being introduced with subsidies from the Directorate General of Highways — as Kaohsiung has announced plans to put two such buses on trial runs next month.
Kaohsiung’s buses are planned to run on a 40-minute route, with a one-day pass expected to be priced at NT$300 allowing passengers to hop on or off at any stop, according to the Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau.
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