Big Bus Tours

Big Bus Tours

Parent Exponet Private Equity (85%)
Merlin Entertainments (15%)
Commenced operation June 1991
Headquarters London
Service area London, Vienna, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Istanbul, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, Las Vegas, Budapest, Paris, New York, Sydney, San Francisco, Muscat & Los Angeles
Service type Open top bus operator
Website www.bigbustours.com

Big Bus Tours[1] (formerly The Big Bus Company), is an operator of open top bus sightseeing tours founded in London in 1991. The company operates in 19 cities around the world. Typically, Big Bus Tours use open top double-decker buses in burgundy and cream-coloured livery. They operate more than 150 buses across the world.

History

Big Bus company kiosk and bus queue at Speakers' Corner, London

The Big Bus Company first started operating in London, England in June 1991 with four buses by the Maybury family. It later expanded to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Philadelphia.[2]

In May 2007, the Abu Dhabi company the Al Fahim Group purchased a 30% shareholding.[3][4] Big Bus Tours was formed in May 2011 when The Big Bus Company of London merged with the Les Cars Rouges Company of Paris.[5]

In February 2015, the business was sold to Exponet Private Equity.[6][7] In February 2016, Merlin Entertainments bought a 15% shareholding.[8]

Current cities offering Big Bus Tours include Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Chicago, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London, Miami, Muscat, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, San Francisco, Shanghai, Sydney, Vienna and Washington, D.C.[9]

Overview of operation

Buses travel near major landmarks around the town or city it tours. Pre-recorded or live commentary about the landscape is provided through small headphones worn by each passenger. Users may leave the bus and board again without limit (hop-on, hop-off) at special bus stops on a circular route. In large cities, buses go on more than one route. In some cities (such as Hong Kong) some variants of the ride include travelling by boat.[10]

Operations by country

Australia

Austria

China

Big Bus in Hong Kong

On 15 December 2008, The Big Bus Hong Kong was established. With the largest fleet of open-top buses in the city,[11] it serves three sightseeing routes: Hong Kong Island (Red Tour), Kowloon (Blue Tour) and Stanley (Green Tour). The tour offers a wide range of packages which include free travel on the Peak Tram, entry to the Sky Terrace on Victoria Peak, a traditional Sampan ride, and a Star Ferry harbour tour.

In April 2010, The Big Bus Shanghai was established. It operates a fleet of eight Ankais.[12]

France

Hungary

Italy

Oman

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

In 2002, The Big Bus Tours Dubai was established. The buses used are traditional open-top double-decker buses. The tour visits numerous sights throughout the Emirate; including the Wafi Mall, Dubai Creek, Creekside Park, Dubai Museum, The Old Souq, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, Heritage & Diving Village, Dubai Gold Souk, Deira City Centre, Jumeirah Mosque, Souq Madinat Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, the Palm Dubai Mall, and the Burj Khalifa.

United Kingdom

The Big Bus Tours London operates three routes with stops at these tourist destinations: Madame Tussauds, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, London Eye, Covent Garden, St Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Harrods, Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens.[13][14]

Fleet

Dennis Condor of Big Bus

Originally, the fleet was built up with former route service double deckers that were converted to open top for a second life. AEC Routemasters, Daimler Fleetlines, Leyland Atlanteans and Leyland Titans were all used during the 1990s. These were replaced by 3-axle Dennis Condors, Leyland Olympians and MCW Metrobuses purchased from Hong Kong. The depot is in Wimbledon.

In 2008, 10 East Lancs Visionaire bodied Volvo B9TLs were purchased. These were followed by 26 Optare Visionaire-bodied Volvo B9TLs and 3-axle Ankais.

United States

Gallery

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Big Bus Company.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.