Topless yet tasteful and as British as troubled teeth, L.A.'s new double-decker buses may dramatically change the way tourists get around, how they spend their travel dollars and the very look of Southern California's streets.
Introduced a year ago and recently expanded, the 16 double-deckers serve two separate circuits -- one looping through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the Grove and Melrose, the other spanning downtown. By spring, Starline Tours hopes to add a third circuit, serving Venice and Santa Monica.
A significant wager in shaky times, the buses are a gambit by L.A.'s biggest tour operator to broaden the places tourists can conveniently roam.
"The double-decker buses aren't the silver bullet," says Elizabeth Currid, assistant professor at USC's School of Policy, Planning and Development. "But great cities are great cities because of all the little things adding up. The cumulative effect of all the little things actually adds up to something important."
For tourists and locals shepherding their guests about town, the old British buses with the open tops are a sun-splashed, whimsical alternative to the typical shuttle or bus. The double-deckers' hop-on/hop-off feature lets riders depart to shop or dine along the route, then catch the next bus that comes along at 30- to 45-minute intervals.
Perfect, no. On a recent Thursday, visitors grumbled at the wait between buses at the Grove, and riders are virtually nonexistent on the just-opened downtown loop. And a 24-hour pass costs $30, too expensive to use for commuting. But the buses seem to be catnip to tourists looking for a pleasant way to see Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Melrose while absorbing L.A.'s famous sunshine.
"In a few hours, it lets you cover a lot of ground," said Gabriela Gogoi, 23, visiting from Romania, and stopping off at the Grove during the Hollywood loop, which has consistently full loads.
Sarah Zahradnik of Australia found the bus to be an excellent way to see Melrose Avenue, Paramount Studios and the sights along Hollywood Boulevard.
"I wouldn't pay any more than that [$30]," she said. "But it's a lot of fun."
By now, you've probably spotted one of the double-deckers, in bright red industrial enamel, straight out of an Austin Powers movie. Generally older and showing the wear and tear of London streets, they amble along in front of City Hall, or down Broadway, past the vintage palaces where Bob Hope, Duke Ellington and the Marx Brothers entertained audiences long ago. They rumble through the Fashion District, then loop around the Staples area's new L.A. Live, the burgeoning next star for Southland tourism.
