The Original Tour

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One of The Original Tour East Lancs Visionaires, on route T2, beside Waterloo Station.
One of The Original Tour East Lancs Visionaires, on route T2, beside Waterloo Station.

The Original Tour, or previously The Original London Sightseeing Tour, is an open-top tour run by Arriva in London, England. They also hold the franchise to run City Sightseeing's London tour. It is based in Wandsworth, South West London.

Contents

[edit] Services

[edit] Sightseeing routes

The Original Tour operates four sightseeing routes, with two connectors from other places linking to them: [1]

Route Number & Colour Route Name Places served Duration (approx.) Other notes
T1 The Original Tour Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, National Gallery, Downing Street, Houses of Parliament (& Big Ben), London Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey 2 hours English commentary provided by live tour guides
T2 City Sightseeing Madame Tussauds, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, National Gallery, Downing Street, Houses of Parliament (& Big Ben), London Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey 2 hours Pre-recorded commentary in a number of languages, including one for children.† This is the route operated for the City Sightseeing franchise.
T3 The Loop Line National Gallery, Trafalgar Square (& Nelson's Column), Westminster Pier, London Eye, Lambeth Palace, Houses of Parliament (& Big Ben), Downing Street, Horse Guards Parade, Piccadilly Circus. 50 minutes Connects London's West End with Westminster and Waterloo Station.
T4 Museum Tour Kensington Palace, Baden-Powell House, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Brompton Oratory, Harrods, Knightsbridge, Harvey Nichols, Hyde Park, Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue, British Museum, Russell Square, Apsley House/Wellington Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial, Kensington High Street, Princess Diana Memorial Fountain 11/2 hours Pre-recorded commentary in a number of languages, including one for children.† Runs every 15 minutes between 08:15 and 17:15.
T5 Station Connector St Pancras Station, King's Cross Station, Marble Arch, Paddington Station, Marylebone Station, Euston Station Links main London stations to the main tours. From St Pancras at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00; from Marble Arch at 15:50, 16:50, 17:50
T6 Capital Connector Holland Park, Notting Hill, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate, Notting Hill.
Holland Park, Notting Hill, Lancaster Gate, Kensington Gardens, Madame Tussauds, Paddington Station, Baker Street, Oxford Circus		 Links into the main tours every 15 - 20 minutes. The bottom route runs between 08:15 and 10:15am.

† Pre-recorded language commentaries provided on the T2 and T4 routes are English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, as well as the "Kids' Club" children commentary in English.

[edit] T-prefixed Route Numbers

The "T.." route numbers came with the arrival of the Ayats 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. Now 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.

[edit] Other routes

From their Wandsworth bus garage, The Original Tour also operate route 337 (Clapham Junction - Richmond), under contract to Transport for London's London Buses using 14 Volvo B7TLs with Alexander Dennis ALX400 bodywork.

[edit] Bus events

An Original Tour bus at the 2008 Cobham bus rally.
An Original Tour bus at the 2008 Cobham bus rally.

The Original Tour's buses can often be seen at bus events, either for show or to carry passenger. Events frequently attended include Showbus and the London Bus Preservation Trust's Cobham rally.

[edit] Fares

Local fares are available on the sightseeing routes, but the main tickets are valid for 24 hours, which is sometimes extended to 48 hours in Winter to attract custom. [2] Each ticket includes a free river cruise on the River Thames [3]; tickets can also be used for discounts at certain attractions. [4] Standard London Buses fares are charged on route 337.

[edit] The Original London visitor centre

At the end of 2007, The Original Tour opened a new visitor centre on Cockspur Street, off Trafalgar Square. It sells tickets to the major London attractions, as well as for The Original Tour buses themselves. General advice is also given.

[edit] Fleet

[5]

[edit] Recent fleet changes

In November 2006, an order was made for 10 Volvo B9TL/East Lancs Visionaires, worth £1.6 million. They have, now mandatory, Euro 4 engines. The first of these were delivered in May 2007; and all were in operation by the beginning of 2008. [6] [7] Following the delivery of these buses, 45% of the fleet is now low floor and wheelchair accessible.

[edit] Allocation

Some of the buses are in the standard City Sightseeing livery, rather than the Original Tour version, for use on Route T2, which is branded as City Sightseeing. However, in practice, buses can be mixed up. The standard buses for normal London Buses route 337 stay on that route.

[edit] Images

EMB767, one of the 3-axle MCW Metrobus, in The Original Tour livery, on route T1

An MCW Metroliner inherited from London Pride Sightseeing. These have now left the fleet.

An Original Tour Volvo B7L/Ayats Bravo City, on route T2

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Original Tour Services
  2. ^ Original Tour News - "Tickets to be valid for 48 hours"
  3. ^ Original Tour Free River Cruise
  4. ^ Original Tour Special Offers
  5. ^ British Bus Publishing - "Arriva Bus Handbook 2008"
  6. ^ Original Tour News - "New Buses Delivered".
  7. ^ Original Tour Gallery - "Promotional images"

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Arriva Group UK
Bus companies
Railway companies