The Original Tour is now Tootbus London
RATP Dev sightseeing activities will resume operation in London under a new brand: Tootbus (The Original Open Tour Bus).
This announcement follows the unveiling of Tootbus Bath and Tootbus Bristol, which were launched earlier in May.
… for a new City experience: “Let the city take you by surprise”
Tootbus offers tourists the chance to experience the vibrant cultural life and rich historical legacy of London by taking in its most beautiful treasures. Visitors need merely step on board a Tootbus and let the city surprise them.
The Tootbus experience has been designed to offer tourists a convenient, entertaining, open-air way to discover or rediscover the city. Whether the passenger is a local or someone visiting for the first time, Tootbus London guarantees an exciting journey full of surprises, from historical landmarks to hidden gems.
After a year-long pause due to COVID-19, our teams are committed to once again providing our passengers with a safe and memorable tour of the city. Tootbus London is re-opening with some changes:
- a more digitalised service to simplify and enhance the experience for our customers: with our new website (www.tootbus.com), buying a sightseeing ticket has never been so easy and convenient
- a restructured offer to better match consumer demand among a more locally-based and family-oriented clientele
On board Tootbus London open-top buses, the open-air experience is fully compliant with the public health measures and recommendations currently in effect. Tootbus London is proud to have received Visit Britain’s “We are Good to Go” accreditation.
A whole new audio-guide experience
With this new identity comes the promise of a fun experience for international tourists and locals alike. The commentaries in the Tootbus audio guide have been wholly revised to help visitors form lasting memories and emotional bonds with the city as they travel to their next sightseeing stop, restaurant, or attraction.
Forging a closer connection with Londoners is a crucial aspect of the experience for visitors to the city. On Tootbus, that aspect is assured by our local guides; engaging characters who relish the chance to give passengers an authentic taste of their beloved city.
For the convenience of our passengers, the exclusive Tootbus audio guide commentaries will be available in the Tootbus mobile app, so they can enjoy the experience wherever and whenever they want to.
Another new feature of Tootbus London is the audio guide specially created for children. Narrated by a local child exploring the city with his foreign friend, in a way that is fun and engaging, the kid’s audio guide is nonetheless informative and packed with history.
A singular identity for a deep-rooted company
The Original Open Tour has been a part of London’s cityscape since 1951. It was the world’s first Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing company and has received multiple awards over the years. Now part of RATP Dev, our company continues to innovate and uphold our commitment to giving visitors an excellent service and an authentic experience of the city.
We have wholly revised our service to line up with consumer demand in today’s market: in addition to Hop-On Hop-Off tours, Tootbus offers unique experiences such as the Night Tour, the Kids’ Tour, and more recently the London Bar Bus, with live music on board.
We have long been a part of London. Over the decades, we have hosted countless tourists from all corners of the globe. Over the decades, we have worked hand in hand with our fellow Londoners and the local authorities. After the unprecedented times we have faced, we are even more committed to giving visitors a chance to marvel at the wonders of this extraordinary city. A city tour that is comfortable, convenient, memorable, responsible, and dotted with little-known gems of culture and history.
Catherine Booth, Managing Director of Tootbus London: “Over the last several months, we have been hard at work crafting novel and unique experiences for visitors to London. Today, we are delighted to be back up and running in the city under this new brand. We are proud to share our vision of getting London’s tourism and entertainment sector back on its feet. Our whole team is eager to welcome visitors on board the Tootbus experience and our new digital platform makes it easier for our customers and partners to book and buy tickets.”
About the company
We're not called The Original Tour for no reason. The Original Tour really was the original sightseeing bus tour in London. Since 1951, we have been providing sightseeing bus tours around the city. Our tour was first introduced by London Transport as Service J for the Festival of Britain, where we invited tourists to hop on board to tour ‘around the town for half a crown’.
In the early days, we operated a non-stop circular tour of London and tickets cost just 50p for adults and 30p for children. We were the first to introduce the, now popular, open-top bus tours and in 1970, we extended our service to include coach tours in the City, Windsor and Hampton Court.Showing no signs of putting the brakes on, we lead the way once again and introduced live guides on our tours in 1984. When the 90s arrived we launched audio commentary in 8 languages, our popular hop-on hop-off service and, after several name changes, we became The Original Tour in 1992.Now, over 65 years later, we are part of the RATP Group, the world’s 5th largest public transport provider. We are immensely proud of the innovative sightseeing bus services we have introduced over the years which are now common in cities all over the world. With multiple awards and a dedication to excellent service, enjoy the original way to see London with The Original Tour.
About RATP Dev
Founded in 2002, RATP Dev operates and maintains urban public transport networks in 13 countries on four continents (Egypt, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Hong Kong – S.A.R. China, the Philippines, and the United States of America). With more than 1.5 billion passengers travelling on its networks every year, RATP Dev demonstrates its extensive and renowned expertise every day through a wide range of mobility services: rail transport, regional express rail, tramways, buses, cable cars, and sightseeing tours. The RATP Group has long operated the Paris public transport network, one of the largest such networks in the world. But beyond Paris, in France and around the world, RATP Dev brings to bear the technical expertise and experience of the RATP Group to lead the way in driverless and tramway operations. For more information, go to: www.ratpdev.com