Open Top Bus Services

[Flange Squeal]

I've been trying to compile a list of current open top bus operations in the UK, and this is what I've come up with so far. If anyone can spot an omissions then they'd be gratefully received!

Bournemouth

• Buster’s Beach Bus: 11 Mudeford (Yellow Buses)
• Buster’s Beach Bus: 12 Alum Chine (Yellow Buses)
• City Sightseeing (Discover Dorset Tours)
• Golden Tours (Yellow Coaches)
• See ‘Dorset’ for Bournemouth – Poole – Swanage route

Bath

• Tootbus: City Tour (RATP Group)
• Tootbus: Skyline Tour (RATP Group)

Belfast

• City Sightseeing (Belfast City Sightseeing)
• City Tours Belfast (Diamond Leisure Transport)

Bridlington

• Beachcomber: BLUE (East Yorkshire)

Brighton

• City Sightseeing (Brighton & Hove)

Bristol

• Tootbus (RATP Group)

Bute

• City Sightseeing (West Coast Motors)

Cambridge

• City Sightseeing (Stagecoach)

Cardiff

• Tootbus (RATP Group)
• RT: Cardiff to Penarth (Cardiff Bus)

Chester

• City Sightseeing (Stagecoach)

Clacton-on-Sea

• Clacton Breeze 134 (Hedingham)

Cornwall (routes serving multiple locations)

• Atlantic Coaster (First Kernow)
• Lands End Coaster (First Kernow)
• The Lizard: L1 Helston to Lizard (First Kernow)

Derry/Londonderry

• City Sightseeing (City Sightseeing Derry/Londonderry)

Devon (routes serving multiple locations)

• English Riviera Sightseeing Tours (English Riviera Tours)
• 21C: Barnstaple to Croyde Bay (Stagecoach)
• 91: Dartmouth Park & Ride (Stagecoach)
  (Cambridge City Sightseeing vehicle operating some journeys on temporary loan)
• 95: Exmouth to Sandy Bay Beach (Stagecoach)
• 100: Torquay/Paignton to Totnes (Dart Pleasure Craft t/a Rail River Link)
• 122: Paignton – Torquay – Babbacombe (Stagecoach)
• 222: Dawlish Warren – Dawlish – Teignmouth (Stagecoach)

Dorset

• Jurassic Coaster: X52 Weymouth to Bridport / Wool (First Wessex)
• Portland Coaster: 501 Weymouth to Portland Bill (First Wessex)
• Purbeck Breezer: 50 Bournemouth – Poole – Swanage (morebus)

Eastbourne

• Eastbourne Sightseeing (Seven Sisters Bus & Coach)

Edinburgh

• Bright Bus Tours: Brittania Tour (First West Lothian)
• Bright Bus Tours: City Tour (First West Lothian)
• City Sightseeing (Lothian Buses)
• Edinburgh Tour (Lothian Buses)
• Majestic Tour (Lothian Buses)

Exeter

• Discover Exeter (First Kernow)

Exmoor National Park

• Exmoor Coaster (First Kernow)

Falmouth

• Falmouth Coaster (First Kernow)

Glasgow

• City Sightseeing (West Coast Motors)

Great Yarmouth

• Coastal Clipper Cabriolet (First Norfolk & Suffolk)

Hastings

• [SUSPENDED] 66: Hastings – St. Leonards – Combe Haven (Stagecoach)

Hull

• Hull City Tour (Jorvik Tour Bus) – no official info online?

Inverness

• City Sightseeing: Red Route (D&E Coaches)
• City Sightseeing: Blue Route (D&E Coaches)

Isle of Wight

• Downs Breezer (Southern Vectis)
• Needles Breezer (Southern Vectis)

Lake District (routes serving multiple locations)

• 78: Keswick – Borrowdale – Seatoller (Stagecoach)
• 508: Penrith to Patterdale (Ullswater) (Stagecoach)
• 599: Grasmere – Windermere – Bowness (Stagecoach)

Lincoln

• Tour Lincoln (Stagecoach)

Liverpool

• City Explorer: City Explorer (Maghull Coaches)
• City Explorer: Beatles Explorer (Maghull Coaches)
• City Explorer: Liverpool FC Explorer (Maghull Coaches)
• Liverpool City Sights: Red City Tour (Liverpool City Sights)
• Liverpool City Sights: Blue City & Beatles Tour (Liverpool City Sights)

Llandudno

• City Sightseeing: Llandudno & Conwy Tour (Alpine Travel)
• City Sightseeing: Great Orme Explorer (Alpine Travel)

Llangollen

• The Horseshoe Pass Tour (Routemaster4Hire)

London

• Big Bus Tours: Red Route (Big Bus Tours)
• Big Bus Tours: Blue Route (Big Bus Tours)
• Big Bus Tours: London Evening (Big Bus Tours)
• City Sightseeing (Julia Travel/Stagecoach)
• Golden Tours: Red / Classic Tour (Golden Tours)
• Golden Tours: Orange / Essential Tour (Golden Tours)
• Golden Tours: Panoramic Live Guide (Golden Tours)
• Golden Tours: London by Night (Golden Tours)
• Golden Tours: West End Musicals (Golden Tours)
• Golden Tours: Christmas Lights (Golden Tours)
• Tootbus: Yellow Original Route (RATP Group)
• Tootbus: London by Night (RATP Group)
• Tootbus: Kids Tour (RATP Group)
• Tootbus: Bar Bus (RATP Group)
• Tootbus: The Sounds Bus (RATP Group)
• Tootbus: Christmas Lights (RATP Group)

Manchester

• Sightseeing Manchester (Sightseeing Manchester)
• 470: Bolton to East Lancs Railway (Diamond North West)

New Forest

• New Forest Tour: Red Route (morebus)
• New Forest Tour: Green Route (morebus)
• New Forest Tour: Blue Route (morebus)

Newcastle

• Toon Tour (Go North East)

Norwich

• City Sightseeing (Awayadays)

Oxford

• City Sightseeing (Oxford Bus Company)

Plymouth

• Ocean City Sights 25 (Plymouth City Bus)

Porthcawl

• Cymru Coaster: Porthcawl (First Cymru)

Portsmouth

• OpenTop26.com (Aldermaston Coach Lines)

Scarborough

• 109 Seafront Service (Shoreline Suncruisers)
• Beachcomber: RED (East Yorkshire)

Skegness

• Seasiders: 1 Chapel St. Leonards (Stagecoach)
• Seasiders: 3 Ingoldmells (Stagecoach)

Southend

• 68: Seaside Service (Ensignbus)

Stratford-upon-Avon

• City Sightseeing (Stagecoach)

Swansea

• Cymru Coaster: Mumbles (First Cymru)

Thanet

• 69: Broadstairs to Ramsgate (Stagecoach)

Weston-super-Mare

• Somerset’s Coaster (First Bristol, Bath & West)

Weymouth

• See ‘Dorset’

Whitby

• Whitby Town Tour (Coastal & Country Coaches)

Windsor & Eton

• Golden Tours (Golden Tours)
• Tootbus (RATP Group)

York

• City Sightseeing (Transdev Blazefield)
• Golden Tours (York Pullman)

 

[EnviroExplorer]

Plymouth Citybus have some E400s branded as ‘Ocean City Sights’ for use on route 25 to The Hoe.

morebus normally use their Optare Visionaries on routes 60 and 70 in Poole during the summer, although closed tops can be found alongside them.

Although not currently in operation, Stagecoach were running an open top on seasonal Route 66 in Hastings. It was running earlier this year though has had issues with the branded Trident and staffing.


Thanks for putting this list together, good to see lots of new services this year

 

[markymark2000]

Very good list. Certainly something that I have been looking for for a while.
The only missing one which comes to mind is that Manchester currently also has the Diamond bus 470 from Bolton to Ramsbottom.

 

[REVUpminster]

The 122 Paignton used to be from the Zoo but now starts from Hoburne Devon Bay holiday park. It does try to follow the coast as much as it can.

 

[Eyersey468]

There is an open top bus running round Hull this year run by Jorvik.

 

[TR673]

Lincoln has a City Tour run by Stagecoach with a dedicated open top Gemini. The service only resumed a few weeks ago after its 2020 absence.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Thanks for the additions all.

I shall add them to the list.

Plymouth Citybus have some E400s branded as ‘Ocean City Sights’ for use on route 25 to The Hoe.

morebus normally use their Optare Visionaries on routes 60 and 70 in Poole during the summer, although closed tops can be found alongside them.

Although not currently in operation, Stagecoach were running an open top on seasonal Route 66 in Hastings. It was running earlier this year though has had issues with the branded Trident and staffing.

I'd looked for the Ocean City Sights service but their website doesn't make much mention of it at all (the dedicated website/links I found are all dead). In fact it was only looking at the PDF timetable after reading your post that I found any mention of open tops, so thanks! All the evidence suggested it was gone this year. I'd excluded the morebus 60/70, as to my knowledge, its not all journeys and the timetables don't specify which are/might be? As for Hastings, yes that was excluded for the reason of hearing it had been decided not to run for the remainder of this year after it's short start. It's a shame, as from what I remember it's quite a boldly decorated vehicle.

Very good list. Certainly something that I have been looking for for a while.
The only missing one which comes to mind is that Manchester currently also has the Diamond bus 470 from Bolton to Ramsbottom.

Wasn't aware of this one - thanks for bringing it to my attention!

There is an open top bus running round Hull this year run by Jorvik.

Thanks! Do you know if they have any online presence, can't find much about it?

Lincoln has a City Tour run by Stagecoach with a dedicated open top Gemini. The service only resumed a few weeks ago after its 2020 absence.

Many thanks, was totally unaware of this one. Hadn't seen anything on the Stagecoach site, but following your post I found a website with information.

 

[arbeia]

Odd one on Busways E Routes from Sunderland-South Shields. Have also been used recently on Sunderland Busways service 19 to Seaburn.

 

[Eyersey468]

@Flange Squeal They don't seem to advertise the service very well at all but I will have a look to see if I can find an online presence.

Edit: all I can find at the moment is this listing at Companies House, I will try and find a timetable for you

 

[neilmc]

The three Lake District Stagecoach services are all normal passenger services not "tourist buses" whatever that might mean, so ENCTS passes are valid unlike on many of the other offerings in the list.

However they do not always produce open top buses and the 508 summer service all the way to Windermere is not designated at such, just the Patterdale short workings..

 

[Flange Squeal]

The three Lake District Stagecoach services are all normal passenger services not "tourist buses" whatever that might mean, so ENCTS passes are valid unlike on many of the other offerings in the list.

However they do not always produce open top buses and the 508 summer service all the way to Windermere is not designated at such, just the Patterdale short workings..

There are a number of similar scenarios, such as First Wessex's routes around Weymouth. The list is just intended as a guide to show where any open toppers run in service (with links to the relevant websites for more info) and therefore doesn't just focus on "tourist buses", hence I've listed the 508 as being the Penrith end only. Stagecoach's timetable on the website helpfully highlights which journeys are the open toppers, similar to First's Exmoor Coaster and Jurassic Coaster services.

 

[route101]

The three Lake District Stagecoach services are all normal passenger services not "tourist buses" whatever that might mean, so ENCTS passes are valid unlike on many of the other offerings in the list.

However they do not always produce open top buses and the 508 summer service all the way to Windermere is not designated at such, just the Patterdale short workings..

Does the 508 to Windermere ever get an open topper on the full route? Or is it due to the pass?

 

[peterblue]

The full 508 to Windermere isn't normally scheduled to have an open topper

 

[Andyh82]

Regarding the list shown above for London

Some of the ones shown for the ridiculously named Tootbus are actually just different tickets rather than different services

London Discovery and London Express look to be the same service just the Express is one trip and the Discovery is the traditional hop on hop off all day ticket.

Also have Stagecoach now abandoned MegaSightseeing? Are the E400s now on the Julia service?

 

[Jan Pawlowski]

Great job done. I can't remember what else to add

 

[MotCO]

Also have Stagecoach now abandoned MegaSightseeing? Are the E400s now on the Julia service?

I believe so. I think they use the first E400s Stagecoach used in London, on route 61 in Bromley, suitably beheaded.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Regarding the list shown above for London

Some of the ones shown for the ridiculously named Tootbus are actually just different tickets rather than different services

London Discovery and London Express look to be the same service just the Express is one trip and the Discovery is the traditional hop on hop off all day ticket.

Also have Stagecoach now abandoned MegaSightseeing? Are the E400s now on the Julia service?

Tootbus: Upon closer inspection, yes Express is a two hour validity from first validation product.

Megasightseeing: Yes, this operation has been wound up and they now instead operate the City Sightseeing franchise in collaboration with Julia. I believe Julia were the people behind the earlier ‘London City Tour’ operation a few years back.

 

[Andyh82]

How did Stagecoach/Julia end up with the City Sightseeing franchise, as The Original Tour used to have it (although chose not to use it front and centre), did they allow it to lapse or get outbid?

Seems a mistake if they allowed it to lapse as it’s a brand people know and look for when visiting a new city.

 

[geoffk]

Are there still open top buses on the Antrim coast? In 2009 I rode from Giant's Causeway to Portrush via Bushmills on an open-top service - it was raining but luckily the front part of the upper deck was covered, so not 100% open-top.

 

[83G/84D]

The four Stagecoach North East Trident/ ALX 400's that were used on a North Shields - Whitley Bay open top service a few years ago seem to be operating south of the river at Sunderland.

Although I can find no publicity advertising a specific open top service it would appear that these work on the E1, E2 & E6 services between Sunderland and South Shields and service 19 Sunderland - Seaburn during the day.

The buses are in "Seasider" colours and I last saw them in operation in the summer of 2019 as mentioned in the first paragraph.