The Big Bus Company
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based open-top bus sightseeing company.
The Big Bus Company is a family-owned company, founded by Richard, Eleanor and Desmond Maybury. It started in central London in June 1991 with 4 buses and now operates over 150 buses worldwide. With its bus livery of Burgundy and cream, the company has since expanded to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Philadelphia. The London operation has twice won the 'Visit London' award for Best Sightseeing Tour of the Year.
Big Bus and Al Fahim
On May 29, 2007 it was announced that an Abu Dhabi company, Al Fahim, had bought a 30% stake in The Big Bus Company. With the extra investment from the deal, The Big Bus Company will be able to expand its operation quicker than previously planned. Since December 2008 Hong Kong has seen The Big Bus Company's buses on its roads, with Shanghai following in April 2010.Big Bus Tours London
Big Bus London has featured in many TV shows including So Graham NortonSo Graham Norton
So Graham Norton is a British television programme, hosted by Irish personality Graham Norton. It ran from 3 July 1998 to 1 March 2002.-Theme:...
, The Big Breakfast Show and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV's Facing the Music with David Grant
David Grant
David Grant CBE, FREng, FIET is the Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University in Wales. Since his appointment in 2001, Dr Grant has overseen the merger between Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine, which was completed in 2004, and the awarding of University Status to...
and Carrie Grant
Carrie Grant
Carrie Grant is a British vocal coach and session singer. She is best known for her work on the television talent contests Fame Academy, Comic Relief does Fame Academy and Pop Idol, together with her husband and colleague David Grant. She is also personal voice coach to many successful pop stars...
(series nominated for the Royal Television Award), Outnumbered
Outnumbered
Outnumbered is a British sitcom. Airing on BBC One since 2007, it stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a father and mother outnumbered by their three children...
show on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
starring comedian Hugh Dennis. Other celebrities who became Big Bus Tour Guides for television and film projects include Shane Ritchie, Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish television presenter, journalist and actress, best known as a presenter for TV-am, and later GMTV and ITV Breakfast, on Lorraine.-Early life:...
, Lauren Booth
Lauren Booth
Lauren Booth is an English broadcaster, journalist and pro-Palestinian activist. She works for Iran's English language news channel, Press TV.-Family:...
and Jerry Springer
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
. In addition Jenny Platt
Jenny Platt
Jenny Platt is an English actress best known for her role as Violet Wilson in the long running television soap Coronation Street. Her first appearance was on 8 October 2004....
who plays barmaid Violet Wilson
Violet Wilson
Violet Wilson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street. She was portrayed by Jenny Platt making her first onscreen appearance on 8 October 2004 and remained until 29 February 2008. Platt returned for one episode on 24 April 2011.-2004–11:Violet first appeared on the...
in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
was once a Tour Guide with the company as was actress Georgina Sutcliffe who married actor Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
in London on February 19 2008.
The Company appeared with its Guide Manager, Miles Tredinnick
Miles Tredinnick
Miles Tredinnick, also known as Riff Regan, is a rock musician, songwriter and a stage and screen writer. In the 1970s, he was the lead singer with the British rock band London. Afterwards he went on to write comedy plays for the stage...
, on BBC1 Television's Don't Get Done, Get Dom
Don't Get Done, Get Dom
Don't Get Done, Get Dom is a British reality television series which helps consumers get good deals when purchasing goods. The show lends its name from its presenter Dominic Littlewood. It is aired on BBC One and repeated on BBC Two in the UK....
, presented by Dominic Littlewood
Dominic Littlewood
Dominic Littlewood is an English television presenter and journalist.-Biography:Littlewood attended St Thomas More High School for Boys, Westcliff-on-Sea from 1981 to 1986. Littlewood was diagnosed as diabetic in his teenage years, and takes insulin to keep his diabetes under control...
, in December 2006.
Ant and Dec filmed their opening credits to ITV's Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
from the top of a Big Bus driving along London streets in June 2007.
Big Bus Tours Dubai
Big Bus Tours DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
was established in 2002 and takes place on a traditional open-top double-decker bus. The tour visits sights including Wafi Mall, Dubai Creek and Creekside Park, Dubai Fort and Museum, The Old Souk, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum’s House, Heritage & Diving Village, The Gold Souk, Deira City Centre Mall, The Jumeirah Mosque and Beach, Souq Madinat Jumeirah, Burj al Arab, The Palm Dubai Mall and Burj Dubai.
Big Bus Tours Hong Kong
Big Bus Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
was established on December 15, 2008. With the largest fleet of open-top buses in the city, serving three sightseeing routes: Hong Kong Island (Red Tour), Kowloon (Blue Tour) and Stanley (Green Tour).
Big Bus Tours Budapest
Big Bus Tours in Budapest, Hungary will start operating from spring 2012.
Gallery
Image:Big Bus Company Shield.jpg|The Big Bus Company shield on the side of a vehicle.
Image:Big Bus Company advert.JPG|An advertising A-board for The Big Bus Company.
Image:Big Bus Company DA1.JPG|A Dennis Trident
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
/East Lancs Lolyne
East Lancs Lolyne
The East Lancs Lolyne is a type of double-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It is the double-deck version of the Spryte. It continued the long line of 'misspelt' names which continued until the Scania OmniDekka. It was built on the Dennis Trident 2 chassis.Later on in its life...
bus purchased from Metrobus, the company's first low floor buses.
Image:HK Central Ferry Piers Big Bus Company NR4579-06.JPG|The Big Bus Company in Hong Kong.