:Tootbus London#Transport for London

{{Infobox Bus transit

|name = Tootbus London

|logo = TootbusLondonLogo.svg

|logo_size =

|image = YJ11TVA TOOTBUS Volvo B9TL with East Lancs Visionaire bodywork (52511927151).jpg

|image_size =

|image_caption = Optare Visionaire-bodied Volvo B9TL in Tower Hamlets in 2022

|company_slogan =

|parent = RATP Dev

|founded = June 1951

|headquarters = Wandsworth Garage

|service_area = Central London

|service_type = Tourist bus operator

|routes = 3

|depot = 1

|fleet = 90 (September 2014)

|fuel_type =

|operator =

|website = [https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA67CrBhC1ARIsACKAa8SghK3gklA3szLcSKs395IKCTV68LeV0D7JQQ0bF-PbzyKoBD8qdqcaAl_rEALw_wcB www.tootbus.com]|former_name=The Original Tour}}

Tootbus London, formerly The Original Tour[http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/02328599 Companies House extract company no 2328599] The Original London Sightseeing Tour Limited is a London bus tour operator using open-top double-decker buses. It also holds the franchise to run City Sightseeing's London tour. Based in Wandsworth, it is a subsidiary of RATP Dev.

History

File:Arriva_Original_Tour_OA329.JPG RH bodied Leyland Olympian in June 2008]]

File:The_Original_Tour_bus_213_(T213_XBV)_1999_DAF_DB250_Plaxton_President,_11_April_2011.jpg bodied DAF DB 250 in April 2011]]

File:Ayats_bravo_Original_Tour.jpg bodied Volvo B7L in October 2007]]

File:The Original Tour VLE611.jpg bodied Volvo B9TL in The Original Tour livery in October 2008]]

File:MCW Metroliner open topper.jpg in August 2008]]

The Original Tour was founded in by June 1951 by the London Transport Executive at the time of The Festival of Britain. In 1986 it was privatised, being sold to London Coaches / Blue Triangle. In December 1997 it was sold to Arriva. In March 2001 the London Pride Sightseeing business was purchased.[https://web.archive.org/web/20111101031757/https://www.theoriginaltour.com/info/about.htm About The Award Winning London Original Sightseeing Tour] Original Tour[http://www.ensignbus.com/uploads/1/5/6/5/15657682/aboutus_ebooklet.pdf The History of EnsignBus] Ensignbus

In September 2014, the business was sold to RATP Dev.[http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/r_116937/ratp-dev-acquires-leading-london-sightseeing-operator/ RATP Dev acquires leading London sightseeing operator] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091815/http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/r_116937/ratp-dev-acquires-leading-london-sightseeing-operator/ |date=4 March 2016 }} RATP Dev"RATP buys Original Tour from Arriva" Buses Magazine issue 716 November 2014 page 7 The business was rebranded to Tootbus London in July 2021, in line with other RATP Dev-owned sightseeing operations being rebranded under the Tootbus identity.{{cite news |last=Dennis |first=Juliet |date=28 May 2021 |title=The Original Tour and Bath Bus Company rebranded to Tootbus |url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/the-original-tour-and-bath-bus-company-rebranded-to-tootbus |work=Travel Weekly |access-date=10 June 2023}}

Sightseeing tours

After purchase of a 24-hour ticket, 48-hour ticket or 72-hour ticket, ticket-holders may board any of the tour routes at 52 different stops without another charge. Services operate daily, with a recorded audio guide in English and several other languages which can be listened to with headphones. A river cruise is also included in the ticket price.

Tootbus London operates three sightseeing routes, which are as follows:[https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA67CrBhC1ARIsACKAa8SghK3gklA3szLcSKs395IKCTV68LeV0D7JQQ0bF-PbzyKoBD8qdqcaAl_rEALw_wcB Hop-on Hop-off & Themed tours] Tootbus London

class="wikitable"
Route name !Places served !Frequency !Other notes
style="background:#FFA53A; color:white"\|Yellow Route \|Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Downing Street, Borough Market, etc. \|15-20 minutes \|Route also includes a children's audio guide in English and French.
style="background:#174391; color:white"\|Royal Blue Route \|Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods, South Kensington, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Notting Hill, Marble Arch, etc. \|20-30 minutes \|
style="background:#008D2D; color:white"\|Green Route \|Russell Square, King's Cross, St Pancras International station, Euston station, British Museum, Leicester Square, National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Somerset House and Aldwych \|30 minutes \|

class="wikitable"

Route name

!Places served

!Frequency

!Other notes

style="background:#FFA53A; color:white"|Yellow Route

|Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Downing Street, Borough Market, etc.

|15-20 minutes

|Route also includes a children's audio guide in English and French.

style="background:#174391; color:white"|Royal Blue Route

|Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods, South Kensington, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Notting Hill, Marble Arch, etc.

|20-30 minutes

style="background:#008D2D; color:white"|Green Route

|Russell Square, King's Cross, St Pancras International station, Euston station, British Museum, Leicester Square, National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Somerset House and Aldwych

|30 minutes

Pre-recorded audio guides are provided on all routes in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian, Chinese, Russian and Arabic as well as a children's audio guide in English and French on the Yellow Route.

=T-prefixed Route Numbers=

The "T.." route numbers introduced from April 2001 but used primarily for internal and licensing purposes. Used more widely during 2004 and fully adopted in 2005 with the entry into service of the Ayats bodied Volvo B7Ls, which were specified with electronic destination displays. Previously, the routes were only distinguishable by a coloured triangle, propped up on the dash on the bus, although some had a metal holder on the front. Since 2004 the triangle (which still exist for the older tour buses) have "T.." printed on them for the appropriate coloured triangle. Also, some buses now have destination display blinds, traditionally removed from these buses, which have the coloured triangle on them with the "T.." route number inside that.

=Fares=

Tootbus London tickets are valid for one to three days. Each ticket includes access to all tour routes and the Thames River Cruise.[https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/product/affb216c-6875-44e7-b4ad-8a7ce1d220d4?optionId=96025d4a-20dd-4632-ab2e-4a6e1a27cb19 London Hop-on Hop-off bus and River Cruise] Tootbus London

Visitor centre

At the end of 2007 The Original Tour opened a visitor centre on 17-19 Cockspur Street, off Trafalgar Square.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Transport for London

In May 2004 The Original Tour became a Transport for London (TfL) contracted bus operator when it commenced operating route 337, the first time a route service had operated out of Wandsworth garage since 1986. Buses operated with Arriva London branding, but under The Original Tour's operating licence.[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/businessandpartners/buses/tenderresults/route.aspx?btID=75 Bus tender results Route 337] Transport for London 2 February 2004"Arriva London" Buses Magazine issue 590 April 2004 page 66 When next tendered, route 337 passed to London General in May 2011 and The Original Tour ceased being a TfL operator.[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/businessandpartners/buses/tenderresults/route.aspx?btID=815 Bus tender results Route 337] Transport for London 6 September 2010"Route back by popular demand" Bus Talk issue 10 June 2011

Fleet

Historically the fleet consisted of former double deck route buses, that after being converted to open top configuration, were given a second life. However, in 2005 ten Ayats Bravo City bodied Volvo B7Ls were purchased new.[http://www.arriva.co.uk/media_centre/press_releases/2005/june/2005-06-01.aspx?sc_lang=en New order gives the original tour the first new open top buses in London] Arriva 1 June 2005 As at September 2014, the fleet consisted of 90 buses.

The fleet include Ayats Bravo City bodied Volvo B7Ls, Plaxiton President bodied DAF DB250, Optare Visionaire or MCV DD103 bodied Volvo B9TL, Scania Omnicity buses, and the new purchased Unvi Urbis electric bus.{{Cite web |title=Quack77 - Tootbus fleet list |url=https://buslists.uk/fleet.php?ownerid=115 |access-date=22 January 2024 |website=buslists.uk}}

In November 2023, it was announced that the fleet of 15 Optare Visionaire bodied Volvo B9TL would be retrofitted with electric drivertrains to make them battery electric buses.{{Cite web |last=Team |first=routeone |date=14 November 2023 |title=Magtec to repower 15 Tootbus B9TL open-tops to battery-electric |url=https://www.route-one.net/news/magtec-to-repower-15-tootbus-b9tl-open-tops-to-battery-electric/ |access-date=22 January 2024 |website=routeone |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=14 November 2023 |title=Tootbus engages Magtec to repower 15 open top buses in London |url=https://www.sustainable-bus.com/news/tootbus-magtec-repower-open-top-buses-london/ |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=Sustainable Bus |language=en-US}}

References

External links

{{commons category-inline|Tootbus}}
{{commons category-inline}}
[https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA67CrBhC1ARIsACKAa8SghK3gklA3szLcSKs395IKCTV68LeV0D7JQQ0bF-PbzyKoBD8qdqcaAl_rEALw_wcB Company website]

Category:RATP Group

Category:Arriva Group bus operators in England

Category:British companies established in 1951

Category:Transport companies established in 1951

Category:1951 establishments in England

Category:City Sightseeing

Category:London bus operators