Big Bus Tours

Big Bus Tours, the largest global operator of premium open-top sightseeing tours, has launched a ‘re-imagination’ of its app today, at WTM 2017 in Excel, London. It follows the company’s launch of an industry game-changing consumer website earlier this year, as Big Bus Tours was the first travel company in the UK (and first open-top sightseeing tour operator worldwide) to release on the Magento 2.0 e-commerce platform.

The all new Big Bus Tours app is an interactive city companion featuring exciting tour routes and itinerary suggestions for city visitors, with detailed maps that accurately pin point Big Bus stops, including walking directions to the nearest stops. The app also features fascinating facts on the biggest and best city attractions, helping customers to get under the skin of each city and plan where to hop on and discover local landmarks, and where to hop off and explore their holiday destination. Now featuring ‘Live Map’ with enhanced real-time bus tracking, the innovative app enables travellers & tourists to maximise their time during their city break, whilst tracking where their next bus is, on route.

The fully interactive app has a new look and navigation feel, with a dynamic home screen that tailors content to customer preferences, delivering the right messages and merchandising at the right time. Utilisation of mobile marketing automation also allows Big Bus Tours to trigger personalised messages based on events and activities, identified by customer preferences and their location. The multi-functional app also provides push notifications to customers, informing them of special offers and service messages including daily detours and stop closures. Responsive two way messaging allows customers to get in touch with Big Bus Tours, prior to, and during, their tour, and enables customers to receive a push notification when they receive a response.

Big Bus Tours is the first open-top bus tour company to implement real-time bus tracking globally, and bring route maps to life. The new ‘live map’ digital experience comes as Big Bus Tours adapts to the fast-evolving digital needs of domestic and international travellers – ensuring a seamless journey for all customers on the go.

Real-time bus tracking, leverages ‘Greenroad’, Big Bus Tours’ existing on-board fleet safety and GPS system, enabling customers to not only track where their next bus is in real-time, but also identify which route the bus is on, and where it is heading too. It is the first time the safety system has been utilised for a customer-centric purpose. Following recent customer feedback, Big Bus Tours have made it easier to determine if the tracked bus is heading the customer’s way, with directional arrows on the routes.

Alex Payne, CEO of Big Bus Tours  said “With the average city break being 3-4 nights, we wanted to help our customers maximise their short stay and enjoy all aspects of the world-famous cities they are visiting, whether they want to hop on and discover the sites, or hop off and explore the sites. The new improvements to the mobile app, as well as the enhanced ‘Iive map’ feature on the Big Bus Tours app,offers the most up-to-date real-time information, helping customers take control of their travel and time whilst on holiday – customers can decide if they have time to take that all important selfie, sit back and enjoy a coffee, or wander around city landmarks without worry.” 

“For our on-street customer service representatives, real-time bus tracking helps answer the most common and pressing customer question on the lips of our 4.9 million global customers of when will the next bus arrive?” He added 

A one-stop-shop for route planning, including the enhanced real time bus tracking ‘live map’ and helpful information on local shopping, dining, landmarks and attractions, the Big Bus Tours app acts as the perfect travel companion for tourists looking for a quick city guide.

The Big Bus Tours App is available for download for free from the App Store and Google Play from December 2017.