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Wheelchair accessible bus travel for people with disabilities has long been a mainstay in the world of public transportation. Except when it comes to one particularly enticing and romantic sort of bus. Until quite recently, disabled travelers hoping to enjoy the ride on a double-decker bus remained locked out of the luxury these buses offer. Megabus.com is seeking to change all that by becoming the very first bus company to make double-decker buses accessible to persons with disabilities.

Megabus.com is a subsidiary of Coach USA and invested in 17 double-decker buses providing access to those in wheelchairs. The company has already added these newly equipped buses into their routes in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana with plans for expansion. The buses themselves were built by the Van Hool company in Belgium and were designed to adhere to all U.S. regulations.

The TD925 double-decker buses rise over 13 feet and have two-door access. Passengers traveling in wheelchairs enter at ground level through the second door. The buses have been designed with luggage compartments placed toward the rear, rather than beneath the bus, to create more passenger room inside, creating enough room within these wheelchair-accessible double-decker buses to seat 79 passengers.

Making a good thing even better is the commitment by Megabus to combine accessibility with affordability. A limited number of seats are available for just $1. In order to take advantage of this unheard of offer, passengers will need to reserve their seats well in advance. Once all of the low-priced seats have been booked, ticket prices rise back to more familiar levels.

Considering the rising cost of gasoline prices and the added expense of equipping a vehicle for wheelchair accessibility, there is little reason to wonder why Megabus has enjoyed a spike in service. The combination of affordable public transportation with the long-delayed satisfaction of finally being welcomed aboard the double-decker bus that has long been a mainstay of the busing industry makes the efforts of Megabus a most welcome addition. Booking for these double-deckers are accomplished on Megabus' Web site which can be accessed by computer, cell phone or personal digital assistant.

See Timothy Sexton's Profile on Disaboom 

See Timothy Sexton's Profile on Associated Content