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Edinburgh Tour Operators: Bright Bus, Lothian (Majestic, Three Bridges) etc.

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Robertj21a

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I am, and i seriously just don't get the appeal of them.

Oh, I most certainly do - and the numbers are increasing.

If you're a tourist from, say, Japan, China or USA, there's nothing more typically British than having a ride on a red London Bus - drinking tea and eating sandwiches. A clever move by whoever realised the potential.
 

Jordan Adam

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Oh, I most certainly do - and the numbers are increasing.

If you're a tourist from, say, Japan, China or USA, there's nothing more typically British than having a ride on a red London Bus - drinking tea and eating sandwiches. A clever move by whoever realised the potential.

That isn't my point though, i'm not arguing about if there's a market or not!

It's a matter of opinion and i just don't personally see the appeal that others do of having a mean on a double decker bus when you being bounced about all over the place and it's fairly cramped. We have a Cafe bus here up at the beach which i visited on Monday for lunch, and while it is lovely with fantastic food i couldn't imaging sitting there on the upper deck eating while the bus is moving.
 

GusB

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I suppose some people will go for the novelty factor, although I would imagine there are certain dishes that should be avoided.

Two soups? ;)
 

Volvodart

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They are already offering a £35 discount after a few days running, so it must not be too busy.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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They are already offering a £35 discount after a few days running, so it must not be too busy.
Was that for Bustourant?

I just went through their booking schedule for September, and for the later evening journey, costing £50 each, they have failed to sell a single seat. They have 28 places on the bus, and every date says 28 availible. Lunch is a little better with tomorrow having 25 places left so 3 diners. Every other date however, says 28 availible so no bookings (they only run Friday - Sunday for lunch)

With all the produce that needs to be bought, unless bought that day, the costs of the bus, I can't see it lasting much longer.

They are going to Glasgow on Sept 20-22, with 7 people onboard on 20th (21 spaces left), no bookings on 21st and no bookings on 22nd. They are charging £40 for that tour, not £50 like Edinburgh but I wonder if the 7 on board are complementry for press or actual customers.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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Update on Bustourant. They cancelled the Sunday in Glasgow, so only ran 2 of the 3 advertised days.

Lunch was changed to Fri, Sat and Sun with dinner being every day except Monday but now that has changed again with only Friday and Saturday now for Lunch and Dinner.

Lunch - October - 7 bookings on 5th, 4 on 25th
Dinner - October - every day has no bookings, except 26th which has 6.

Lovely looking bus with livery but it's clearly not working.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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As for BBT - last time I seen some of their buses, they were running empty still. I know this time of the year is light on tourism but given the dead mileage to Livi and back, does anyone know how they are getting on?
 

Gingerbus1991

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Yeah, they cut Services in Glasgow and Aberdeen, yet can afford to operate this fresh-air space of bus?

Nonsense from this company.
 

overthewater

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Update on Bustourant. They cancelled the Sunday in Glasgow, so only ran 2 of the 3 advertised days.

Lunch was changed to Fri, Sat and Sun with dinner being every day except Monday but now that has changed again with only Friday and Saturday now for Lunch and Dinner.

Lunch - October - 7 bookings on 5th, 4 on 25th
Dinner - October - every day has no bookings, except 26th which has 6.

Lovely looking bus with livery but it's clearly not working.

Personnel it has mist the boat on this, were going into the winter months, why sit on a bus, eat food and when your going to be cold and see bugger all?

As for BBT - last time I seen some of their buses, they were running empty still. I know this time of the year is light on tourism but given the dead mileage to Livi and back, does anyone know how they are getting on?

I spotted a few on Monday and well it had decent loads. That's not to say I've not see empty one but its not all fresh air.
 

Bus Lightyear

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Yeah, they cut Services in Glasgow and Aberdeen, yet can afford to operate this fresh-air space of bus?

Nonsense from this company.
Not really. It was done in retaliation to Lothian Buses starting up new routes in West Lothian against First. A bit like when Stagecoach started running in Glasgow at the same time First had a go in Ayrshire.
 

DunsBus

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Not really. It was done in retaliation to Lothian Buses starting up new routes in West Lothian against First. A bit like when Stagecoach started running in Glasgow at the same time First had a go in Ayrshire.

They had a go in Fife, too. . If I'm correct, the MMC had just recently ruled that First had to divest itself of Midland Bluebird and one of the First Glasgow depots, so the Fife and Ayrshire operations were also a diversionary tactic.
 

In Focus

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As for BBT - last time I seen some of their buses, they were running empty still. I know this time of the year is light on tourism but given the dead mileage to Livi and back, does anyone know how they are getting on?
They are doing fine, yea as you rightly say it is seasonal and weather dependant but on a good day they are very profitable, whether the good days can sustain the bad days only time will tell ,timetable is being altered to take into account the quieter period into October etc.
 

overthewater

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Bright bus announced at the end of last week Kids travel free for the October holidays ( dare say because the english are off from next week this offer will be on for the rest of the month.)

Lothian had to price match on this price and have also now got Kids travel free.
 

A330Alex

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Bright bus announced at the end of last week Kids travel free for the October holidays ( dare say because the english are off from next week this offer will be on for the rest of the month.)

Lothian had to price match on this price and have also now got Kids travel free.

EBT advertised it before BBT. BBT copied it an hour later it appears.
 
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Grumpyscot

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Not often in Edinburgh but had a stroll up Waverley Bridge yesterday. Not impressed with the First Bus Tours - not with the buses themselves but the look of the drivers. Sorry but their polo shirts look so scruffy, don't even look as if they fit properly. Looked more like a bunch of truckers (not meaning to insult truckers!) than tour guides.

Compared with LB, who were all very smart and looked professional.
 

Jordan Adam

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Not often in Edinburgh but had a stroll up Waverley Bridge yesterday. Not impressed with the First Bus Tours - not with the buses themselves but the look of the drivers. Sorry but their polo shirts look so scruffy, don't even look as if they fit properly. Looked more like a bunch of truckers (not meaning to insult truckers!) than tour guides.

Compared with LB, who were all very smart and looked professional.

It's a bus tour, not First Class on British Airways. :rolleyes:

They deliberately went for polo shirts as it's less formal.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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Not often in Edinburgh but had a stroll up Waverley Bridge yesterday. Not impressed with the First Bus Tours - not with the buses themselves but the look of the drivers. Sorry but their polo shirts look so scruffy, don't even look as if they fit properly. Looked more like a bunch of truckers (not meaning to insult truckers!) than tour guides.

Compared with LB, who were all very smart and looked professional.

It's a bus tour, not First Class on British Airways. :rolleyes:

They deliberately went for polo shirts as it's less formal.
I have no idea what the drivers look like as I am hardly in that part of town but if what Grumpyscot said is true, that the polo shirts don't even fit properly, then it CAN to some look scruffy and first impressions matter. While they might be looking for the less informal look, it's still important to look neat and tidy especialy if you're the face of a business. I look at LMC drivers as an example (not for local tours as you'd look at Lothain tour bus drivers for that). However, it probably was just one driver who was between sizes for shirt (we have all been there) and erred on the bigger size thus making it look illfitting and baggy. Some polo shirts can look nice as part of a uniform.

I'd be more concerned if they were in jogging bottoms, with a cig in the mouth telling people to just "jump oan" though.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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Bustourant, the dining bus has ceased trading "until next year".
I think it's safe to remove the words "until next year". As I had said with my updates above, they were not selling seats, and most of the time had 28 seats availible, out of 28 seats. When they did have people on board, it were a few at maximum.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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I saw it in Glasgow a few weeks back, as expected there was more staff on board than passengers!
Not a huge shock. I remember asking (only a few posts above this - post 576) if those 7 people who had been booked on the bus were actually from the media, so getting a free meal, or were they actually paying. They were supposed to run Friday - Sunday but in the end, removed the Sunday as it had no sales.
I think for £50, I'd rather sit in a restaurant, than on a bus eating a meal.
 

DunsBus

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As expected. I did say that neither EBT or BBT would be losing any sleep over Bustourant.

Charging people £50 to eat a meal aboard an old banger as it made its way around the city centre was never going to work.
 

SpeedbirdA350

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So First are expanding as we know. Jarvis posted this last week, and the one below was posted yesterday.

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This one is based currently First in Glasgow

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buslad1988

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It's probably more likely that they're to replace the older existing deckers.
Jarvis has said on twitter they’re for the expansion of Edinburgh tours... not revealed what that means though! Guess they’ll be ready for easter.
 

FlybeDash8Q400

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I was walking down Waverley Bridge today just minding my own business and heading towards Cockburn St, in the 20 seconds or so to walk past the tour buses I was asked 4 times (twice by each company) if I wanted to go on a tour, of course that was never gonna happen but it just shows you how desperate both companies are for pax. I get they’re wanting to beat the other but you’d think they’d send reps elsewhere rather than having 3 each on Waverley Bridge which at this time of year really isn’t needed.
 

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