Disabled accessibility - The Original Tour shows London the future
Summer 2005
£1.6m investment by Arriva’s The Original Tour brings 10 new buses to London - making tour buses that are wheelchair accessible available in the capital for the first time.
The new fleet of ten £160,000 purpose built open top double deck buses will have disabled access ramps, and dedicated spaces for wheelchairs, giving The Original Tour the only brand new sightseeing buses - and the only wheelchair accessible open top buses - in London.
Colin Atkins, commercial director for The Original Tour, said: “We are delighted that the considerable number of UK holidaymakers and foreign tourists who use wheelchairs can now fully enjoy our tours, which are an ideal way for them to see London. We intend to expand our fleet of these buses in the near future”.
It also means that The Original Tour is leading the way in upgrading the capital’s tourism experience. It brings London up to the standard of many other European capitals, and backs Minister for Tourism, Richard Caborn’s calls for UK tourism businesses to be comparable with international competitors.
London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, welcomed the investment, commenting: “Any initiative to improve and ensure the highest standards of the capital's attractions and facilities is to be welcomed. These new buses will make it much easier to get around and see the city.”
The investment has also been praised by Stephen Dowd, chief executive of UKinbound, the organisation representing the UK travel industry. He said: “UKinbound members are committed to delivering quality services and products for all our visitors and we are delighted that The Original Tour, one of our key Senior Partners, is so clearly demonstrating this commitment by investing in new, state of the art tour buses that will greatly enhance their customers’ experience"
The introduction of the new fleet was also praised by David Hornby, commercial director of Visit London who said: “This is fantastic news for visitors to London, and helps to provide the capital with even more top class facilities.”
Ends
For more information please contact:
The Original Tour. T: 020 8877 1722
Note to Editors
Founded in 1951 at the time of The Festival of Britain, The Original Tour is now the largest single sightseeing operation in the world. The hop-on hop-off service allows customers to board any of its tour routes at over 90 different stops. Services operate daily with a ‘live’ commentary in English or a wide choice of digitally recorded languages. A free river cruise is included with every ticket and the Kids' Club provides an educational but fun alternative for 5-12 year olds.