Big Bus Tours

Big Bus Tours

Duple Metsec bodied Dennis Condor in Cannon Street, London in May 2007
Founded	June 1991
Headquarters	London
Service type	Open-top sightseeing tours
Destinations	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 babuchako
Operator	Maybury family 70% Al Fahim Group 30%
Website	www.bigbustours.com

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

Big Bus Tours (formerly The Big Bus Company) is a London-based global excursion sightseeing bus tour company. Typically, Big Bus Tours uses open top double-decker buses. As of 2015, the company operates in 19 cities in 11 countries with over 150 buses worldwide.

The tourist attraction bus travels near all major landmarks around the town or city it tours. Pre-recorded or live commentary about the landscape is provided through small headphones to each passenger. Users may leave the bus and board again without limit (so called hop-on hop-off) at special bus stops on a circle 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.

The Big Bus buses are recognisable due to their burgundy and cream-coloured livery. A free map of the route for each city is offered as guide and advertisement as well as headphones are free for users. Usually the tickets issued are for one-day and (reduced) two-days rides. Tickets may be purchased at tourist attractions or (with some discount) online on the internet. In some cities, rides by City Sightseeing are included in the city's guest card.

Company history

Big Bus Tours was formed when The Big Bus Company Ltd of London and Les Cars Rouges of Paris merged in May 2011.

The Big Bus Company commenced operating in London, England, in June 1991, with four buses. It later expanded to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Philadelphia.

In May 2007, the Abu Dhabi company Al Fahim Group purchased a 30% stake in The Big Bus Company.

Until 2015, it was a family-owned company by Richard, Eleanor and Desmond Maybury.

Operations

Australia

• The Big Bus Sydney

Austria

• The Big Bus Wien

China

• The Big Bus Hong Kong

On 15 December 2008 The Big Bus Hong Kong was established. With the largest fleet of open-top buses in the city, serving 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.

• The Big Bus Shanghai

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

France

• The Big Bus Paris

Hungary

• The Big Bus Budapest

Italy

• The Big Bus Rome

Oman

• The Big Bus Muscat

Turkey

• The Big Bus Istanbul

UAE

• The Big Bus Dubai
• The Big Bus Abu Dhabi

In 2002 The Big Bus Tours Dubai was established and takes place on a traditional open-top double-decker bus. The tour visits sights including Wafi Mall, Dubai Creek and Creekside Park, Dubai Museum, The Old Souk, 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 Burj Khalifa.

United Kingdom

• The Big Bus Tours London

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.

Fleet

Dennis Condor of Big Bus

Originally the fleet was built up with second hand 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 a fleet of 10 East Lancs Visionaire-bodied Volvo B9TLs. These were followed by 26 Optare Visionaire-bodied Volvo B9TLs and 3-axle Ankais.

United States

• The Big Bus Chicago
• The Big Bus Las Vegas
• The Big Bus Miami
• The Big Bus New York
• The Big Bus Philadelphia
• The Big Bus San Francisco
• The Big Bus Washington, DC

Trivia

Big Bus London has featured in many TV shows including So Graham Norton, The Big Breakfast Show and BBC TV's Facing the Music with David Grant and Carrie Grant (series nominated for the Royal Television Award), Outnumbered show on BBC starring comedian Hugh Dennis. Other celebrities who became Big Bus Tour Guides for television and film projects include Shane Ritchie, Lorraine Kelly, Lauren Booth and Jerry Springer. In addition Jenny Platt who plays barmaid Violet Wilson in ITV's Coronation Street was once a Tour Guide with the company as was actress Georgina Sutcliffe who married actor Sean Bean in London on February 19, 2008.

The Company appeared with its Guide Manager, Miles Tredinnick, on BBC1 Television's Don't Get Done, Get Dom, presented by Dominic Littlewood, in December 2006.

Ant and Dec filmed their opening credits to ITV's Britain's Got Talent from the top of a Big Bus driving along London streets in June 2007.

Gallery

• 

  The Big Bus Company shield on the side of a vehicle

• 

  East Lancs Lolyne bodied Dennis Trident 2 in London

• 

  The Big Bus Company in Hong Kong

• 

  The Big Bus Company in Shanghai

• 

  The Big Bus Company in Abu Dhabi

See also

• City Sightseeing
• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom
• Open top buses in the United Kingdom

External links

• Official website
• London Bus Routes Zenfolio
• Showbus gallery