RATP Dev acquires Arriva's The Original Tour London Sightseeing

RATP Dev just acquired one of Arriva's bus operations which is The Original Tour London Sightseeing.

The Original Tour Sightseeing London is one of the tour operators in Central London which operates 6 routes with local (cash) fares included in their services. All Tour bus services in Central London operates on a London Service Permit, therefore the services are not contracted by Transport for London.

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. After 17 years, RATP Dev purchased The Original Tour.

RATP Dev Issued the statement from their website.

RATP Dev announces the acquisition of “The Original London Sightseeing Tour”, a pioneer and major operator in the sightseeing sector in London, thereby confirming expansion in this field and in the United Kingdom.

“We are delighted to be acquiring this company which is an ideal component of our development strategy in a sector boasting of high growth potential and in the United Kingdom. RATP Dev is very proud to be able to offer sightseeing circuits now in the world’s three most frequently visited cities: London, New York and Paris. This will further allow us to create synergies not only between The Original Tour and our other London operations, but also with our other sightseeing activities”, stated RATP Dev Executive Board Chairman François-Xavier Perin.

Established in 1951, “The Original London Sightseeing Tour” is a pioneer and one of the major operators of the sightseeing sector in London. The company has a fleet of 90 buses and operates three sightseeing circuits in the centre of London along with three feeder lines for passengers from major rail terminals. The Original Tour carries over one million passengers each year.

The company, Arriva’s subsidiary, has a workforce of 200 in low season and up to 370 in the peak season. “We look forward to working with the existing management and staff of The Original Tour, whose expertise and experience are vital aspects of this company’s appeal to its customers and to our extensive international plans”, François-Xavier Perin added.

 Source

You may also be interested to see my previous article about Sightseeing buses in London.