Easter will see the return of a popular service for Lincoln's
daytrippers and longer-staying visitors - the Lincoln Open Top Tour
Bus.
Today Lincoln BIG revealed it has teamed-up with bus company
Stagecoach and the Visit Lincoln Partnership to reinstate the
service, which last operated in 2004.
And this is also great news for would-be guides who would like
to be part of the service and use their talents to bring Lincoln
alive for visitors.
Lincoln BIG chief executive Matt Corrigan said: "We are
delighted to be partnering Stagecoach in this initiative, which is
being relaunched at a time when the Visit Lincoln Partnership is
stepping-up its drive to bring more tourists to the city.
"The original service was popular, but it had to be withdrawn at
the end of 2004 because the Stagecoach vehicle used at that time
needed replacing and there were other financial issues which made
it difficult to continue.
"However, 2012 is a big year in terms of local events and
attractions, including those which will reflect national Olympics
Games, Royal Diamond Jubilee and celebrations, and we believe the
tour bus will complement these. The open top tour bus will operate
for 110 days from Easter (three-day weekend), at May Bank Holiday,
for the Jubilee, daily between July 1 and September 2 and at
weekends until the end of October.
"We still have to finalise the exact route for the tour bus, but
it will take in the most vibrant and interesting areas of the city
and attractions, including Lincoln Cathedral, Bailgate, the
Museum of Lincolnshire Life, the Castle, The Lawn, High Street,
Brayford and the St Mark's areas," said Mr Corrigan.
Lincoln's Visitor Information Centre Manager Michele Sims said:
"The return of this service has created an exciting opportunity for
people who would love to be city tour bus guides.
"We are now looking for entertaining, knowledgeable and
professional guides, but they have to be available during the
operation of the bus, on Saturdays and Sundays from April to
October and all week during July and August, plus occasional hire
and private tours," said Ms Sims.
"They must also be prepared to work as a part of a team on a
rota basis and also be flexible enough to guide for special events
and private bookings too.
"We are also looking for interesting anecdotes for the bus
commentary and if anyone has ideas about stories or quirky facts
about colourful people from Lincoln's past, we would love to hear
from them," added Ms Sims.