kilometers and gathered public attention and interest. Double-deckers were found commercially attractive, and in 1988 an agreement between Egged and Neoplan was signed, ordering first 20 buses, with additional 30 buses ordered in the following year. The double-deckers started to arrive in 1989, and they worked on lines Tel-Aviv—Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv—Haifa, Tel-Aviv—Be'er Sheba and on Eilat lines. However, both technical issues (in connection between the engine and the transmission) and religious issues (Haredi Jews had issues with women sitting above and in front of them) led to gradual decline in use of these double-deckers. They were removed from the last major line operating them, the Tel-Aviv—Jerusalem line (480), in the end of the 1990s, worked for some time on local lines in the Shfela region, and in the beginning of 2000s were finally removed from service. Some of the buses were sold to an auto dealer from Jordan, who in turn sold them to Iraq and other countries of the Persian gulf. In August 2005, three double-deckers returned to service on line 99 "Scenic route" in Jerusalem. These 3 buses were assembled from parts of 7 double-deckers that were still in storage. The operational cost for double-deckers gradually grew beyond the limit when repairs were still attractive, which led to their final removal from service in 2013. Kuwait In the 1980s, KPTC took a number of Leyland Atlantean's. Since Deregulation one of the other main bus operators Kuwait Citybus re-introduced 56 double deckers built by King Long in 2017. United Arab Emirates 170 Neoplan double deckers are in operation in Dubai. North America Canada In 2000, the cities of Victoria and Kelowna, British Columbia placed an order for 10 Dennis Trident 3 buses imported from the United Kingdom, becoming the first cities in North America to use modern double-decker buses in their public transit systems. Several more orders have been placed since then, and as of 2017 BC Transit operates 69 double-decker buses, including Trident 3s and the newer Alexander Dennis Enviro500s, of which 62 operate on the Victoria Regional Transit System and the remaining 7 with the Kelowna Regional Transit System. In Victoria, the buses are mainly used on routes that go from downtown to the suburbs, and to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal near Sidney, B.C. They can also be found on routes that head to the University of Victoria and the Western Communities, and have proven to be