Press releases

London's sightseeing supremos, The Original Tour, is making an unprecedented investment of £1.6 million in new easy access low floor buses to complement their existing open topped bus fleet.

The launch of the purpose designed new vehicles means that wheelchair users will be able to enjoy the round London tours for the first time - an ideal way for tourists to see the capital.

The Original Tour's commercial director, Colin Atkins, said:

An open top bus ride is a great way to see London , whether you live in the capital or are just visiting. I believe that the new Volvo buses will not only give our passengers a better sightseeing experience but they will be cleaner and quieter and offer a long overdue facility to customers with disabilities.

The move by The Original Tour, part of Arriva plc, follows major expenditure earlier in the year in preparation for the new vehicles including updating their head office, garages, opening a central London base and purchasing a new freehold bus site in East London .

Colin Atkins added:

Our capital city is looking better than ever and we are committed to ensuring that London has the best possible sightseeing service. With Transport standards in the city improving all the time, our new sightseeing buses are now ahead of the game. We intend to order more of these buses in the near future.

The move was welcomed by Stephen Dowd, chief executive of UKinbound, the organisation representing the UK travel industry. He said:

UK inbound 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 customer experience

The investment has received praise from London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who said:

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 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.

Notes 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 commentary in English or a wide choice of 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. For more information you can visit their web site www.theoriginaltour.com