As part of the policy for renewingvehicles, the Company searchedhigh and low for a new bus andmanaged to get a LeylandOlympian from City Sightseeing,Dublin, who are receiving somebrand new vehicles.Following amicable negotiations,plus some Irish hospitality,Warwick Hulme managed tostrike a deal - all that matteredthen was the small point ofgetting it back to Bristol. Warwick flew out to the EmeraldIsle to drive it the 300kms, at40mph, via Rosslare to Fishguardferry. There were doubts it wouldfit on board, but they needn’t

have worried – therewas 15” to spare!

Topless carols!The Southmead Carol Bus took to the streets of Bristol again thisChristmas to raise money for local charity.The City Sightseeing Serviceprovided one of its vehicles totransport the choristers around.The four night programme, nowin its sixth year, began on 14December before making itstraditional tour of Southmead.

Lord Mayors Appeal Tour Now in it’s 2nd year, toured fromThe Downs to Broadmead, viaWhiteladies Rd and Park Street.

Your latest update forBristol CitySightseeingThe exciting way to see Bristol!

Issue 3 • Winter 2009

ENQUIRIES HOTLINE 0870 444 0654www.citysightseeingbristol.co.uk

The new bus will now be fullyliveried as a Bristol bus beforejoining the fleet.There was a major increase in thenumber of passengers using theCity Sightseeing service in Bristol this summer. This waspartly due to the greater number of overseas visitors,attracted to the UK by thestrength of their own monetaryunit against the pound, and the fact that more Brits holidayed at home.The picture (above left) showsCity Sightseeing, Dublin’sManaging Director Mr DavidMcConn handing over the bus inDublin – without a singleGuinness in sight!

New season – new busAfter one of its most successful summers ever, CitySightseeing Bristol will have a new addition to the fleet next season – all thanks to the luck of the Irish!

Now in

our 17th

year

THE BRISTOL TOUR operated by Rubicon Classic Enterprises Ltd, WarwickHulme, 193 Stowey Rd, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4QU. Tel 01934 830050

Poetry in motion

The booklet features prose writtenabout Bristol and its attractions bylocal residents and is available toevery visitor boarding the CitySightseeing Service.The poems are the winningentries in a competition run byCity Sightseeing and the EveningPost, which urged readers to waxlyrical about what they thoughtwere Bristol’s best points.There were more than 50 entriesin the contest, competing in threecategories – under 16, adult andBristol dialect, or Brizzle. Thewinning poems have alreadybeen plastered across the sidesand backs of the open top buses,with 20 more entries featured onthe website.Warwick Hulme, from RubiconClassic Enterprises Ltd which runsthe City Sightseeing Service, said:“We have had people stoppingto read the lines, althoughtourists visiting the City arenonplussed by the dialect verse.The new poetry leaflet featuresthe winners and runners up ineach category and we plan topublish a selection of otherpoems on our website.”To help launch the new leaflet of poems the winners were invited to read their verse outloud on the bus and their poemswere broadcast on Radio Bristol.The entries were judged by anindependent panel chaired byColin Brown, of the Bristol-basedPoetry Can charity.

Below left to right: Warwick Hulme, RosieWright, Poppy Wright, Kevin Latham, GrahamBarnet, Pam Fortune and Nicholas Winn

Ken Spokes andWarwick Hulmeproudly showoff winningpoems on thebus

Passengers on Bristol’s Open Top Bus Tour are ableto view the city through the eyes of its residentsfollowing the launch of a new leaflet of poemsabout what makes it special.

The winners were:

Adult – Nicholas Winn, runner up Mrs. Pam FortuneBrizzle – Kevin Latham, runner up Graham Barnett. Under 16 – Poppy Wright (13), runner up Rosie Wright (aged 6).

THE BRISTOL TOUR operated by Rubicon Classic Enterprises Ltd, WarwickHulme, 193 Stowey Rd, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4QU. Tel 01934 830050

A real venturerCity Sightseeing, Bristol’s Open Top Tour Bus company,named one of its buses after The Merchant Venturers. Thisprestigious group of business men and women have, forhundreds of years, given their time and skills to contributeto the prosperity and wellbeing of Bristol and are known forplaying a prominent role in Bristol’s commercial life and theinstitutions within the city.One of the company’s three buses in Bristol, which provide visitors tothe city and locals with a hop-on, hop-off service, was named ‘TheSociety of Merchant Venturers’ at a ceremony held at Merchants’ Hall.Trevor Smallwood, Merchant Venturers’ Master, and one of Bristol’smost prominent entrepreneurs who helped to build FirstGroup, oneof the nation’s leading transport companies, from the BristolBadgerline bus company. Warwick Hulme, manager of CitySightseeing in Bristol worked alongside Trevor at Badgerline andapproached him with the offer to name the tour bus. Warwick, said: “Our buses haven’t been named before and wedecided that it was the right time to give all three of them a bit ofcharacter. The Merchant Venturers contribute a great deal to our city,commercially and socially, and we wanted to give them the creditthey deserve. We will name all three buses over the next few years,starting with ‘The Society of Merchant Venturers’.”Trevor, whose father and grandfather also worked in the bus trade,said: “Buses have played such a prominent part in mine and myfamily’s life so and I was delighted when City Sightseeing approachedme with this fantastic offer. City Sightseeing provides visitors to thecity and local residents with a great service and we are proud to haveour name on their bus.” Trevor and many others within the Society work with some of Bristol’sschools such as Withywood’s Merchants’ Academy and Colston’s Girls’School. The Merchant Venturers also play a key role in providingaccommodation and care for older people.

Keep LadiesMile WowFactorThe operator ofBristol’s Open Top Busservice is concerned at suggestions thatBristol’s Ladies Mileshould be closed totraffic. Warwick Hulme, fromRubicon Enterprises Ltd, saysthe proposal, which followedthe summer big bike ride, istotally impractical and themajority of users were beingdiscriminated against for thebenefit of a small minority.

“The Ladies Mile is one ofBristol’s landmarks andshould remain open toeveryone - as it has beensince 1872. The idea that itshould be closed so that onlycyclists could use it isnonsense. There’s enoughspace for all of us,” he said.

The City Sightseeing serviceincludes the Ladies Mile in itsroute. “Thousands of touristscould miss out on one ofBristol’s most impressivevistas if this suggestion wasever taken seriously,” he said.“The Downs provides touristswith the big ‘wow’ factor.”

The Downs andtheir ‘wow’ factor

Left to right: guide trainer Tony Abbott, new guides George Locker andJacqueline Aslan, the Lady Mayoress, Warwick Hulme, the Lord Mayor andnew guide Phil Rowlands.

THE BRISTOL TOUR operated by Rubicon Classic Enterprises Ltd, WarwickHulme, 193 Stowey Rd, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4QU. Tel 01934 830050

This year the City SightseeingOpen Top service carried evenmore passengers after increasingthe number of trips it operates bya third and introducing some newservices, including joint ticketswith the ferry service in the docksand discounts for rail travellers.

Warwick Hulme, ManagingDirector of Rubicon ClassicEnterprises, which runs theservice, says the guides have hadto learn about the City’s historyand reach very high standard.

“This summer we had a massiveincrease in the number of foreignvisitors, so the importance of our

guides achieving qualitystandards cannot be overemphasised,” he said. “Everymember of our team shares agenuine concern for theconvenience and enjoyment ofthe visitor to leave them with alasting memory.”

The open top operation has atotal of three dozen qualifiedguides and a team of sevendrivers providing a seven day aweek service.

Four new guides qualified thissummer – three are picturedabove – and Mary Greenman,who was unable to attend.

Guiding forceThe Lord Mayor Bristol, Cllr Christopher Davies,presented certificates to newly qualified guides on the City’s Open Top Bus service. The presntation was made in the glorious setting of the Mansion House.

Vaqas again!Bristol’s CitySightseeingService has had itsaccreditationfor one of

the UK’s top tourismawards renewed.The Open Top Tour wasoriginally presented with thecoveted VAQAS (VisitorAccreditation) award in 2007.

The City Sightseeing bus tours ofBristol are operated by RubiconEnterprises Ltd and ManagingDirector, Warwick Hulme, saysthe award recognises the carefulplanning and anticipation ofvisitors at all levels.

“Every member of our teamshares a genuine concern forthe convenience and enjoymentof the visitor to leave them witha lasting memory.”

When first awarded, Bristol’sOpen Top service was the sixthin the world wide CitySightseeing group to gain theVAQAS award.

THE BRISTOL TOUR operated by Rubicon Classic Enterprises Ltd, WarwickHulme, 193 Stowey Rd, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4QU. Tel 01934 830050

Guides on Bristol’s Open TopBus service went back toschool in the summer – tolearn how to talk topassengers!

The seven days a week CitySightseeing hop-on, hop-offservice proved extremely popularwith visitors as it stops outside ornear most of the City’s maintourist attractions.

The strength of the Euro andother foreign currencies againstthe pound resulted in morepeople from overseas visitingBristol and eight out of 10 people travelling on the open top buses this summer spokeforeign languages.

In the past it has been equallypopular with both tourists and

local residents, carryingup to 18,000 peopleevery year. They get alive commentary on theCity’s history and placesof interest.

As a holder of theVAQAS (VisitorAccreditation) award,which recognises thecareful planning andanticipation of visitors at all levels, CitySightseeing boss Warwick Hulme wanted to give all theirpassengers a proper welcome.

“We had tourists from 19different countries, includingCroatia, Albania, China, Japan,Thailand, South Africa and mostof mainland Europe,” he said.

“To enable them to at least sayhello properly in all the differentlanguages we providing theguides and drivers with crib cardsand a chance to get sometraining It seems not everyoneunderstands the Brizzle accent!”

Warwick Hulme and driverTed Joyce (pictured above),along with a team of familyand friends, representedCity Sightseeing in the 5kmRun for the Future in Bristolin aid of prostate cancerresearch.

The charity holds special interestto Warwick as his father diedfrom prostate cancer. Also, Tedwas successfully treated for thedisease last year after beingpersuaded by his wife to have aPSA blood test, which detectedhe had it.

Although finishing well down the field, Warwick said it was important to take part and help raise funds for vital research.

“Every year 10,000 men diefrom prostate cancer – Tedsurvived because it wascaught early. If we can helpmake a difference by takingpart, then it’s been worth it.”

Money raised by Run for theFuture, which was organisedby Bristol Rotarians andsponsored by Spire Hospital,helps fund a joint researchproject between the BristolUrological Institute atSouthmead Hospital and theUniversity of the West ofEngland. It’s hoped it couldlead to a national screeningprogramme on the NHS withinfive years.

Running for a better future

Mind your language…

"KiA orA"

to new

ZeAlAnders

"Cooee

Cobber" to

AustrAliAns

ENQUIRIES HOTLINE 0870 444 0654www.citysightseeingbristol.co.uk

The City Sightseeing Serviceoffers an all-year roundcorporate hire service tobusinesses and organisations.Wallace and Grommit werejust two clients to takeadvantage when they weretransported to @Bristol for anAardman Animations event.

Nicola’s thebusiness!

Nicola Padden has joinedCity Sightseeing topromote the corporate hire side of the business.Nicola, who has been MarketingManager for the Ferry BoatCompany, who she joined in2004, brings a wealth of all-roundbusiness experience havingpreviously worked with Shipshapeand Bristol Fashion (The Matthew)and been a co-founder anddirector of the Bristol WoodRecycling Project.

She’s looking forward to thechallenge and plans to develop‘strong ties with some localbusinesses and to share withthem the delights to be had on a City Sightseeing private trip.”

City Sightseeing has a new website – completewith two new characters to show visitors around.Mike and Michele, the company’s two new virtual guides, are the creation of former opentop guide, Mark Brierley, now a professional illustrator and webdesigner who will be working with the company.

The new site, www.citysightseeingbristol.co.uk gives Bristol’s Open Top service a clear identify and comprehensivedetail of the routes andattractions it stops outside and invites visitors to board the “gert red bus”!

Now in

our 17th

year

Other companies using theservice included The Law Societyof Bristol for a murder mysteryevening; British Aerospace for aconvention; a business breakfastclub’s quiz tour; the BristolChamber of Commerce and Cityof Bristol College, plus end ofschool term trips for Year Six at a

number of primary schools. Thebus also took Bristol Magpies(supporters of the City Museum)on an evening city tour. For details of corporate hireavailability contact Nicola atnicola.citysightseeing@yahoo.com

Corporate connection

Great new website

Click onthe mapbus stopnumbersfor a pop-up of theattractionsserved bythat stop