Open double deck tour expands fleet and travels
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The Ebert Silva operated Colombo City Tour is looking at expanding its open deck double decker bus fleet and services by travelling to the regions of tourist interest. The double decker bus fleet comprises of four buses that would be joined by two more which are custom built according to suit the services that it needs to carry out, Ebert Silva Holidays Chairperson Rajini De Silva Mendis said in an interview with the Bsiness Times. Each bus costs Rs.12 million and the next bus is scheduled to arrive by the end of next month.
She noted that there is a niche market for these double decker buses which had even been requested for various events to add excitement which is an inbuilt culture in these buses. The weekday tour of “Glimpse of Colombo” and other tours like “Heritage of Colombo” and “Colombo at Night” would be joined by more new attractions like tours to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte in addition to transport services provided to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. It was pointed out that tours to Passekudah would also commence soon.
Ms. Silva noted that they would be bringing down custom built buses to cater to VIP tourists with conference facilities, including wifi and sofa seating for 16-20 persons, mini bars with a separate area for security personnel onboard and other ultra-modern interiors with the opportunity to have meetings and conferences onboard. Another key attraction is the “party bus” that would be operated exclusively with the theme of fun and excitement with disco lights on the floor boards that would take visitors on tours like ”pub crawl” going from one pub to another.
This is not meant to promote alcohol; Ms. Silva said adding that on the other hand it was meant to be a means of transport with excitement onboard. The double decker coaches are being used for corporate tours and even at weddings, birthday parties and school walk parades creating a fun element, it was noted. The Colombo City Tour is also looking at attracting local schools to provide these services at a nominal rate in an effort to educate children of the historical sights of Colombo. The double decker services would be operated in Negombo as well in future based on the requests of hotels in the area from next month, Ms. Silva said adding that Galle too would follow shortly since it’s in close proximity without the addition of another bus.
Ebert Silva also has plans to tour Kandy but the key issue in this city is that the double decker used at present is slightly big due for travel there due to the terrain and the road. In this regard, Ms. Silva noted that they would bring down a custom built bus specifically for the services of the Kandy city based on a new model. All tour are provided with an English speaking tour guide onboard for both locals and foreign tourists that is working in line with the renowned London bus tour which is a concept adopted in other countries as well, Ms. Silva said.