Where are the double deckers? Commuters, fans and transport experts have asked the BEST undertaking to press the iconic double decker buses which are missing in action, into service wherever possible, as they could help maintain social distancing and accommodate crowds.

While the official permitted carrying capacity of a single decker bus as per RTO norms is 51 passengers, double deckers can ferry 88 passengers, including standees. In the era of social distancing, though the passenger-carrying capacity has been struck by half, double deckers can still carry more passengers than an average single-decker bus. Introduced 83 years ago in 1937, the BEST, as of today, has just over 100 double decker buses in its fleet of total 3,500 buses.