Meaning & use
single decker bus
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A bus that has only one level, so passengers ride on a single floor.
Grammar: Countable: say a single decker bus or two single decker buses.
Patterns
- take a single decker bus
- a single decker bus to somewhere
We took a single decker bus from the station to the harbor.
The narrow streets are too tight for anything but a single decker bus.
A single decker bus stopped and the driver waved us aboard.
nouncountableBritish
A bus with one level that is used on routes where tall vehicles cannot go.
Grammar: Often used after words like small or old to describe the size of the vehicle.
Patterns
- a small single decker bus
- an old single decker bus
The town bought small single decker buses for the hilly roads.
An old single decker bus still runs along the coast in summer.
Word forms
| plural | single decker buses |
|---|
Common combinations
- double decker bus
- A double decker bus has two floors, unlike a single decker bus.
- take a bus
- We take the bus to school every morning.
- catch a bus
- Hurry, or we won't catch the last bus home.
- a bus route
- This bus route passes the museum.
- a bus stop
- Wait for me at the bus stop on the corner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bus
- The general word for any large road vehicle carrying many passengers; use single decker bus only when the number of floors matters.
- coach
- A coach is a comfortable bus for long journeys between towns, usually with one floor but different seating.
- minibus
- A minibus is much smaller than a single decker bus and carries only about ten to twenty people.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: single decker bus or double decker bus? single decker bus or coach?
single decker bus vs double decker bus
A double decker bus has two floors, while a single decker bus has only one. The words single and double show the difference.
single decker bus vs coach
A coach is a long-distance passenger vehicle; a single decker bus is usually a local city or town service.
Practice
Which sentence uses the term correctly?
Choose one answer.
A single decker bus has just one level, so option B fits. Option An and C describe a double decker bus with stairs and an upper floor, and option D wrongly says there are no seats.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “single decker bus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.