Oxford Double Decker Fleet Grows From Two to Four Buses

With Double Decker Arts Fest, presented by Caterpillar, only a little over a month away, the city of Oxford bought two new bright-red British double decker buses.

This bus is numbered 22 after Ole Miss’ Deuce McAllister’s football jersey.

The two new buses came to Oxford from Phoenix, Arizona last fall, and they took their time since they could only go 45 miles per hour. All four were used in England on a bus route at one time, according to the city superintendent of the city shop (fleet maintenance), Bo Ragon.

Ragon said that although the city got the buses in the fall, they needed to wait for the weather to warm up.

Oxford’s mayor Pat Patterson said, “People who come to Oxford love these buses. We are looking forward to getting them in service.”

Ragon and members of the city department of buildings and grounds have spent this past week preparing the two new buses in time for the city’s annual Double Decker Arts Fest, presented by Caterpillar.

The city superintendent of building and grounds, Billy Lamb, said, “The buses are being painted with a fresh coat of red paint with numbers, decals and more. They’ve been hard at it for a week.”

Cody Jordan of Oxford and Desmond Mayes of Oxford from the city’s department of buildings and grounds.

The new buses are numbered “18” and “38” after the football jerseys of Ole Miss greats: Archie Manning and Chucky Mullins. In addition to the new buses, the older bus numbered “10” after Eli Manning’s Rebel football jersey got new upholstery.

This bus is numbered after Eli Manning’s football jersey.

In the 1990s, Oxford’s then-mayor John Leslie paved the way for double decker buses in Oxford. The city bought two 1962 Routemaster British buses to reinforce the city’s connection to Great Britain’s Oxford. This is a connection that the three founders, John Chisholm, John D. Martin, and John L.Craig, desired when they named their 50-acres – bought from Princess Hoka, a Chickasaw maiden- after the prestigious university town in Great Britain to draw university students to Mississippi.

Now the city of Oxford is replete with a fleet of four beautiful red double decker buses just in time for its iconic Double Decker Arts Fest, presented by Caterpillar.

Ragon said, “After the Double Decker Arts Fest, the two new buses will be available to rent out for weddings and other functions. Until last fall the two older ones were available to rent, but will now only be used for the city and university functions in order to extend their useful lives.”

Photo by Jimi Hendrix

Callie Daniels Bryant is the senior managing editor at HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.

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