In my distant days as a Londoner, I always made a point of riding on the top deck of the Routemaster double-decker buses. And today, when I catch one of the new double-decker buses being used for commuters in Auckland, I reflexively head for the high ground.
So I get the appeal of double-decker buses. And from a public transport perspective, they make more sense when you're trying to pack a lot of commuters on to one vehicle to make the most of the space on the road.
But the hop-on-hop-off double-deckers carrying tourists around Auckland are a drag. For starters, they're mostly near empty. But most annoyingly, they drive on some daft roads — such as Federal St. Those buses are too big for cool little lanes. Have a big bus if you must, but keep it on big streets.
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