Arts & Entertainment
City of Oxford, Visit Oxford Unveil New Double Decker Buses
Photo by Jim Hendrix
The City of Oxford and Visit Oxford will kick off the 21st annual Double Decker Arts Festival presented by Caterpillar on Friday, April 22 to unveil the two new Double Decker buses that were brought to Oxford last fall from Arizona.
All four Double Decker buses will be on display in front of City Hall for the unveiling and press conference at 4:00 p.m. Immediately following the press conference, free rides will be offered on a first come, first serve basis from 4:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. around the historic courthouse square.
“It’s great to be able to add two newer Double Decker buses to the fleet to accommodate the increasing demand for both private and public tours,” said Matt Davis, Parking Director for the City of Oxford.
Prior to the unveiling, Visit Oxford will be offering an hour-long historic driving tour departing from City Hall at 2pm. The cost for this tour is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets for the historic driving tour with local historian Jack Mayfield can be reserved by calling Visit Oxford at 662-232-2477.
“The Double Decker buses are iconic to the City of Oxford and are always in high demand throughout the year for groups, weddings and other visitor related services” said Mary Allyn Hedges, Director of Visit Oxford. “We are thrilled that the City of Oxford was able to obtain an additional two buses for the public to enjoy.”
Mayor Pat Patterson added, “We are excited that the City of Oxford can offer two more old buses that are in better condition than the buses that the City has owned since the early 1990’s. The Double Decker buses have come to represent Oxford almost as much as the Courthouse and City Hall.”
For a complete schedule of events surrounding the Double Decker Arts Festival presented by Caterpillar visit www.doubledeckerfestival.com.
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Anonymous
April 13, 2016 at 8:18 am
Socialism has come to Oxford.
If these busses are such a great idea, why doesn’t a private business operate them?
What’s next? Is the city going to start renting out fire trucks and police cars?
Oxford needs to clarify the role of government.
Is it going to be big and involve itself in things (like bus rentals) that belong in the private sector?
Or, is our government going to do what it is supposed to be doing?
JW
April 13, 2016 at 9:24 am
I disagree with Anonymous. I would imagine that if there were a big profit to be made in the tour bus business in Oxford, some entrepreneur would have jumped on it. Since there probably isn’t, I think the Double Decker Buses definitely serve a purpose. They improve tourism in Oxford. They have become part of the “branding” of Oxford, hence Double Decker Festival. They provide a great way to hear and see the history of Oxford, and probably make almost enough money off of the tours and rentals to cover the cost of their operation. Why is promoting tourism not a function of our city government?
Anonymous
April 13, 2016 at 3:51 pm
JW – You may have missed the point of anonymous’ post.
That post is about government involving itself in something it has no business doing. Government’s role is to provide essential services – nothing more.
Perhaps, in the same vein as entering the motorcoach business, the City of Oxford ought to buy a hotel and rent rooms, too. That will help tourism.
Anyway, who ever decided it is the government’s role to promote tourism? Why not spend our taxes to promote fashion or breweries, too?