The Original Tour, formerly Tootbus LondonCompanies House extract company no 2328599 The Original Tour Limited is a London bus tour operator using open-top double-decker buses. Based in Wandsworth, it is a subsidiary of First Bus London.
History
The Original Tour was founded in by June 1951 by the London Transport Executive at the time of The Festival of Britain. In 1986 it was privatised, being sold to London Coaches / Blue Triangle. In December 1997 it was sold to Arriva. In March 2001 the London Pride Sightseeing business was purchased.About The Award Winning London Original Sightseeing Tour Original TourThe History of EnsignBus Ensignbus
In September 2014, the business was sold to RATP Dev.RATP Dev acquires leading London sightseeing operator RATP Dev"RATP buys Original Tour from Arriva" Buses Magazine issue 716 November 2014 page 7 The business was rebranded to Tootbus London in July 2021, in line with other RATP Dev-owned sightseeing operations being rebranded under the Tootbus identity.
In December 2025, the company was acquired by FirstGroup and renamed as The Original Tour on the 75th anniversary of the company.
Sightseeing tours After purchase of a 24-hour ticket, 48-hour ticket or 72-hour ticket, ticket-holders may board any of the tour routes at over 40 different stops without another charge. Services operate daily, with a recorded audio guide in English and several other languages which can be listened to with headphones. A river cruise is also included in the ticket price.
The Original Tour operates three sightseeing routes, which are as follows:Hop-on Hop-off & Themed tours Tootbus London
Route namePlaces servedFrequencyOther notesYellow RouteTower Bridge, Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Downing Street, Borough Market, etc.15–20 minutesRoute also includes a children's audio guide in English and French.Royal Blue RouteBuckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods, South Kensington, Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, Notting Hill, Marble Arch, etc.20–30 minutesGreen RouteRussell Square, King's Cross, St Pancras International station, Euston station, British Museum, Leicester Square, National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Somerset House and Aldwych30 minutes
Pre-recorded audio guides are provided on all routes in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian, Chinese, Russian and Arabic as well as a children's audio guide in English and French on the Yellow Route.
Fares The Original Tour tickets are valid for one to three days. Each ticket includes access to all tour routes and the Thames River Cruise.London Hop-on Hop-off bus and River Cruise Tootbus London
Transport for London In May 2004 The Original Tour became a Transport for London (TfL) contracted bus operator when it commenced operating route 337, the first time a route service had operated out of Wandsworth garage since 1986. Buses operated with Arriva London branding, but under The Original Tour's operating licence.Bus tender results Route 337 Transport for London 2 February 2004"Arriva London" Buses Magazine issue 590 April 2004 page 66 When next tendered, route 337 passed to London General in May 2011 and The Original Tour ceased being a TfL operator.Bus tender results Route 337 Transport for London 6 September 2010"Route back by popular demand" Bus Talk issue 10 June 2011
Fleet Historically the fleet consisted of former double deck route buses, that after being converted to open top configuration, were given a second life. However, in 2005 ten Ayats Bravo City bodied Volvo B7Ls were purchased new.New order gives the original tour the first new open top buses in London Arriva 1 June 2005 As at September 2014, the fleet consisted of 90 buses. The fleet include Ayats Bravo City bodied Volvo B7Ls, Plaxton President bodied DAF DB250, Optare Visionaire or MCV DD103 bodied Volvo B9TL, Scania Omnicity buses, and the new purchased Unvi Urbis electric bus.
In November 2023, it was announced that the fleet of 15 Optare Visionaire bodied Volvo B9TL would be retrofitted with electric drivertrains to make them battery electric buses.
See also Open top buses in the United Kingdom Sightseeing
References
External links
Company website