Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Bus and Coach Tourism
Despite being ubiquitous forms of passenger transport at destinations, the role
of the bus and coach in the development of tourism is not well researched. The
bus and coach have considerable potential to play in developing sustainable
tourism mobility, in the form of road trains and open-top buses, as well as
scheduled buses, along seafronts and into the centres of destinations. The bus
is complemented by the coach, offering transfers, tours and longer-distance
services.
The bus is by far the most important form of surface passenger transport
in most countries, but the extent to which it is used for leisure purposes is
often underestimated by transport and tourism planners. Consider two
examples. Firstly, in Berlin, 64 per cent of all trips made by bus are for leisure
and shopping purposes (International Association of Passenger Transport,
2009). Secondly, in Sydney, over 30 per cent of trips are for recreation
and shopping on a weekday, rising to 78 per cent at weekends (New South
Wales Transport, 2002). This pattern of leisure and tourist travel is mirrored
in many major cities across the world. The potential of the bus, argues
Tyler (2002), is that by its very nature it is inclusive and flexible. It can
respond easily to fluctuations of demand between seasons, days of the week,
or even at different times during the day, without investment in heavy
infrastructure.
The earliest buses ran in England. The first service of any lasting conse-
quence was organized by George Shillibear in London during the late 1820s.
The model was set for urban bus growth in industrial cities across the world
in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. London-style horse bus
services were copied in North American cities, to be succeeded by motor
buses. Provision of regular urban buses then spread to other parts of the
world. They were designed mainly for utility, and the supply of bus services,
even in postmodern society, reflects this early focus on providing journeys to
work or places of education.
