| Founded | March 1973 |
|---|---|
| Service area | Greater London |
| Fleet | MCW Metroliner |
London Pride Sightseeing was an open top sightseeing bus operator inLondon.
In 1983, the state ownedLondon Transport ceased operating theirRound London Sightseeing Tour operation as the market was opened up to competition by the government. This had been run since March 1973.
A number of companies established private tour bus companies in London. In 1984,Emmerheath Ltd., one such private operator, established theGrand Guided Tour of London as London Pride Sightseeing, with a white/pink/orange livery, a small operation with 10 buses and operating from one stop.
In 1985 London Pride merged withEnsignbus, who had also started their own tour operation, with Emmerheath buses being repainted into Ensignbus standard blue/silver, with London Pride markings.
Ensign had a competitive advantage with its ready supply ofFleetlines being disposed of early by London Transport into its sales business. As part of this, Ensign had developed expertise in half and full open-top conversion of these vehicles. Ensignbus had earlier operated brand-new DMS-class Fleetlines under contract on theRound London Sightseeing Tour.[1]
Ensign went on to develop London Pride with the open-top vehicles, multiple stops, 24-hour operation and tickets, shuttle buses, different routes and attraction tie-ins. It also introduced the use of high capacity tri-axle coach vehicle on open-top operation, such as theMCW Metroliner.
After the sale of the Ensign's London tendered routes toCapital Citybus, London Pride gained a dedicated plum/silver version of Ensignbus livery, and prominentThis is an official London Sightseeing bus markings.
From 1985, and into the 1990s, most of the other tour operators in London either ceased trading, or sold out to Ensign (Culture Bus, Ebdon's, London Tour Co, London Hop on Hop off Ltd and Cityrama), leaving only London Pride andThe Big Bus Company in the market.
In 1998, the expanded London Pride operation was sold by Ensign to a private consortium. Following London Pride, Ensign went on to produce theCity Sightseeing global franchise model, starting tours around the world. After London Pride's new owners failed to grow the business, it was sold back to Ensignbus in November 2000.[2] Ensign proceeded to transform London Pride into a City Sightseeing operation. In March 2001, Ensign sold this London City Sightseeing operation toArriva along the franchise operator model, with Ensign retaining vehicles, property and engineering staff to further develop the brand elsewhere. Arriva merged it into their London tour operatorThe Original Tour.[3]
Bus operators inLondon | |
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| London | |
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