History

The introduction date of the very first commercial double

decker bus (just like the first bus itself) seems to be open to
some debate, as different versions of models and claims appear
all over the internet. Generally what is agreed upon is that
commercial buses were first widely introduced in the 1820′s,
(with a few previous unsuccessful attempts briefly recorded in
France as early as 1662) and as this is some time before the
introduction of the , they were horse drawn as you would
expect.

These early buses were called ‘Omnibuses‘ and ran in France

and England, and it wasn’t until 1847 when Adams & Co of
Fairfield works, manufactured a vehicle with a clerestory roof
with built in upper seats running the length of the bus. These
were first operated by the Economic Conveyance Company of
London, and to encourage people to use these the fare was half
of the cost of sitting inside.
These open top double decker horse drawn buses were not
initially popular, and it took nearly 10 yrs for the idea to catch
on, when in 1852 John Greenwood introduced a much larger
double decker with enough space for up to 42 passengers and
needed pulling by 3 horses, with the top deck still accessed by
a ladder.

These buses became more novel with innovations such as a

staircase to make access to the top deck easier, along with
forward facing garden seats rather than longitudinal bench
seats, and this encouraged more ladies to ride them. Horse
drawn buses faced stiff competition from cheaper trams and
trains that became common in the later 1800′s, and with the
introduction of the combustion engine and the 1st World War,
the last ever horse drawn bus in London ceased operating on
4th August 1914, but continued in more rural areas in the UK
until 1932.

The first motorised double decker was the NS Type (pictured

above) which was introduced in 1923 and was the first to
feature a full covered top deck. It built by the A.E.C.
(Associated Equipment Company) was considered luxurious at
the time with upholstered seats rather than the wooden
benches, and the closed in top deck enabled buses to compete
on level terms with the trams that had become popular as a
cheaper alternative, and with lots of new urban development,
the freedom of the bus to adapt to new routes unlike the tram
or train meant it grew in popularity very rapidly. The NS Type
stayed in production until it was withdrawn in1937.

http://www.doubledecker-bus.com/history/