PARTNER INTERVIEW: THE ORIGINAL TOURS
The Original Tours Partner Interview:
Have you ever wondered who is behind the creation of the huge double decker buses wrapped in the Union Jack flag? Well this is The Original Tours and we wanted to know more about them and what led them to being the success they are today! Kirsty, a member of The Original Tours team told us all we wanted to know!
1. Can you tell us the history behind The Original Tours?
The RAPT Group is the fifth largest metro operator in the world. In 1951, they did a hop-on hop-off tour for the Festival of Britain, and this was a big success. Remembering this five years ago, they wanted to set up a sightseeing division, so they created Extrapolitan, the official global network of hop-on hop-off city tours. They have multi-lingual tours in 17 cities including Paris, Hong Kong, Berlin, London and of course, Windsor! Extrapolitan are the first company in the world to do hop-on hop-off bus tours - hence the name The Original Tours!
2. Why did the company decide to expand to Windsor?
We decided to expand to Windsor because it’s so wonderfully English! The town’s beauty provides a different angle to England, compared to the busy city life of London. London is very metropolitan, with lots of skyscrapers and businesses, whereas Windsor is very much in the countryside - and there are no other bus tours in Windsor, making us unique.
3. Do you have a few favourite destinations on the Windsor or London Tour?
London is amazing, but I am a country girl from Scotland, so I must say I prefer the Windsor Bus Tour stops. I love the Windsor Farm Shop, and The Long Walk is iconic. However, my favourite sight on the Windsor bus tour is Eton, because it is stunning and posh with lots of little shops!
4. Have you got any funny/memorable customer moments you could share?
“I was trying to explain something to a Spanish lady travelling on her own who didn’t speak much English - and I don’t speak much Spanish. An American gentleman offered to help translate, and I noticed they were sitting together for the rest of the tour. I even saw them later on in the day getting off a different bus together. Perhaps a holiday romance bloomed on the Original Tour!”
“Passing the General Lying-In Hospital on York Road, an excited gentleman called out that was where he was born! He later mentioned he’d lived in London his whole life and had learnt lots of new things about London while on the Original Tour.”
“On one of our Christmas Lights tours, the customers and I had a Bad Joke-Off. I told a groan-worthy Christmas cracker joke and there ensued a game of one-upmanship as the customers tried to tell even worse Christmas cracker jokes! Even our driver shouted out his own bad joke!”
“I don’t usually mention the Duke of St Albans, one of King Charles II’s illegitimate children, but on one occasion I did tell a story about him. At the end of the tour a lady from Australia chased after me to tell me she was in the UK researching her family tree, and the day before had learnt she was related to the Duke of St Albans!”
5. What are the future plans for The Original Tours?
We have recently announced our partnership with London City Tours, which is very exciting. We now cover a larger area of London, so there are more routes available. Also, we are very honoured to have won the Trip Advisor 2018 Travellers Choice Award! The Original Bus Tours have lots of exciting partnerships and directions to go in in the future. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled…
6. Why is The Original Tours a good company to work for?
The Original Tours is a great company to work for because, for one, you learn so much about London (and now Windsor). I live in London, but you don’t find out the facts I know without going on our bus tours. Also, I get to meet so many different people from different parts of life, from colleagues in the many different departments, to the customers who board our buses. The headquarters in Wandsworth is a very structured environment and that suits me. More than anything else, I am proud to work for a company who have proven their originality and is constantly growing.
