Let us take you on a journey...
Welcome to the launch of our new Edinburgh Bus Tours fleet The last ten years has seen the tourism market in the city change with Edinburgh now having a rich and culturally diverse year round tourist industry. Over this time Lothian Buses has evolved its Edinburgh Bus Tours operation into today’s five star rated offering with visitor numbers of over half a million annually. Edinburgh Bus Tours offers a unique perspective on a unique city. Our investment of over £6.5 million into the new fleet places the customer at the very heart of what we do and supports our commitment to reducing our environmental impact. With panoramic views and significantly increased accessibility these vehicles are a first for the UK and will operate on three of our routes; Edinburgh Tour, Majestic Tour and City Sightseeing Tours. “We pride ourselves on the high quality of our operational standards and delivery, these are in line with our reputation for having one of the most modern and cleanest fleets in the UK. Our new open-top buses are not only a great addition to the fleet but also to our capital city. We are excited to be able to offer a significantly enhanced sightseeing experience to our customers whilst reducing our environmental impact through lowering emissions.”
Richard Hall Managing Director, Lothian Buses
Amazing memories start here...
We are Scotland’s third most popular paid-for visitor attraction
GOLD AWARD
EXCEPTIONAL
Customer experience and partnerships
160 specially trained staff
Our range of “Hop on – Hop off” tickets make navigating Scotland’s Capital and its iconic attractions simple, flexible, fun and informative. By working in partnership with Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Yacht Britannia and Palace of Holyroodhouse, visitors are able to benefit from fast track entry with The Royal Edinburgh ticket. Rated a five-star experience by VisitScotland since 2011, our Edinburgh Bus Tours team is made up of over 160 Ticket Sellers, Tour Drivers, Visitor Advisors and Guides who are all specially selected and trained to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. We are excited to hear about the latest investment plans for Edinburgh Bus Tours which look to enhance the visitor experience of this five star tour even further. It is great to see a big focus on accessibility and sustainability in the plans. Malcolm Roughead Chief Executive, VisitScotland
over 500,000 visitors a year
Fleet of the future... Our 30 new vehicles have been specially commissioned, making them a UK first. Enhancing the five-star visitor experience has been at the forefront of the concept and design. Built on the new Volvo B5TL Euro 6 chassis, these are the first open top buses with Wrightbus’ Gemini 3 styling. The bodywork has been carefully adapted to meet the specific requirements of operation in and around Edinburgh. The vehicles are built to an overall extended length of 11.5 metres.
We have had a great response from our supply chain including Wrightbus who have all risen to the challenge of delivering a unique design for our tour buses. The arrival of these vehicles represents a substantial investment that forms part of the company’s overarching fleet strategy. Bill Devlin Engineering Director, Lothian Buses
Partners on a journey... We have worked closely with Lothian Buses on this stunning new open top addition to our product range. This has involved a redesign of our latest double deck body style with particular attention paid to achieving a panoramic view at the front of the bus by incorporating a review of the glazing system. At the same time we have ensured commonality in line with our other products to allow for easy maintenance and the replacement of parts where necessary. In addition, a specially designed drainage system has been integrated into the bus to ensure continued operation in all weather conditions. This drainage system was jointly designed by the team in Ballymena and the engineering team at Lothian Buses. We now look forward to seeing these fantastic new vehicles operating successfully in Scotland’s capital city. Sam McLaren Commercial Director, Wrightbus These buses are equipped with the latest generation of Volvo’s electronically controlled braking system which features a number of important safety and comfort-enhancing functions. These include brake blending, hill start aid and emergency braking assistance, which are all vital for passenger comfort and safety on these very busy routes around Edinburgh. They have been specified to Lothian’s exacting standards including dedicated wheelchair and buggy areas, coloured LED destination information display equipment, Wi-Fi and a CCTV system. Phil Owen Commercial Sales Director, Volvo Bus
Investment in Edinburgh Bus Tours’ new vehicles forms part of our overarching fleet strategy – by 2020 the Lothian Buses family of businesses carbon footprint will be cut by 42%. These new Euro 6 buses will reduce CO2 emissions by 40% compared to the existing tour vehicles and will reduce both NOx and particulates by 95-99%. Edinburgh Bus Tours and Lothian Buses are proud to be supporting the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh in achieving its low carbon targets. Both visitors and residents alike will benefit from more environmentally friendly vehicles operating within the City. With quieter engines, which also reduce noise pollution the visitor experience on board is enhanced.
New Euro 6 tour buses will reduce CO2 emissions by 40% compared to existing tour vehicles and will reduce other harmful emissions by 95-99%. Emma Roy Environmental Officer, Lothian Buses
Tourism is for all... PANORAMIC VIEWS
Bespoke vehicle designs include increased glazed areas for panoramic views of the city. All buses are ‘half tops’ meaning that whatever the weather, visitors can enjoy breath-taking views from the top deck under the shelter of a roof.
NEXT LEVEL ACCESSIBILITY
With dedicated wheelchair and scooter spaces fitted with display screens displaying live tour footage and subtitled commentary of tours our new fleet takes accessibility to the next level: going above and beyond to ensure comfort and safety for all of our customers.
WHATEVER THE WEATHER
A specially-designed drainage system has been integrated into each bus to ensure we can continue to operate in all weathers – something that is particularly important in Edinburgh with the unpredictability of the Scottish climate.
KEEPING YOU CONNECTED
Free WiFi is available on all the buses which means our visitors can stay fully connected throughout their sightseeing experience.
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