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You are in: Birmingham > People > Your Community > Bus tours are back

Big Brum Buz

Bus tours are back

BBC WM's Phil Upton celebrated the return of open top bus tours to Birmingham on Friday 24th April 2009 with a live broadcast of his breakfast show from the 'Big Brum Open Top Bus'.

Driver's side of the bus

Driver's side of the bus

Open top buses haven't been part of the city's tourist culture since around 1996 when they were scrapped due to budget concerns.

In March 2009, Sue Behan of Birmingham Tours told Phil Upton @ Breakfast of her plans to bring them back to help the city's tourist trade.

Sue qualified as a Blue Badge Guide in 2000 and since then has been providing panoramic coach and walking tours of the city with the help of other guides.

Bullring from above

Bullring from above

And now she's ready to launch the 'Big Brum Open Top Bus' which takes to Birmingham's streets in April.

"I am proud to be a Brummie and wanted our city to be in line with other major cities in the UK and abroad," she said.

"This is a very exciting venture for us, especially in the current economic climate. Although we have initial sponsorship from Birmingham based Europa Translations Ltd we are looking for further sponsorship to keep the bus on the road. 

Birmingham Town Hall - landmark

Birmingham Town Hall - landmark

"In the meantime we hope everyone will support us and enjoy this special opportunity to see so much more of their great city."

Phil Upton @ Breakfast was live from the 'Big Brum Open Top Bus' between 7am and 10am on Friday 24th April, just prior to the official launch at 11am from Church Street, Colmore Row next to St. Philip's Cathedral.

Tours for the public began following day at 10.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm and 3pm, running every Saturday until 26th September.

BBC WM's Phil Upton

BBC WM's Phil Upton

The route includes a ride around Birmingham's commercial sector near Colmore Row, the Jewellery Quarter, the redeveloped Eastside, Broad Street and Edgbaston.

Tickets are on sale now at the Tourist Information Centre on 0121 202 5000, Call Centre Ticket Sales Line on 0844 8883883 or Birmingham Box Office on 0121 303 2323.

For private bookings or further details, click the link below:

last updated: 27/04/2009 at 15:46
created: 10/03/2009

Have Your Say

The BBC reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

Keith Bracey
Great to see the open top bus tours of Birmingham being restored.As part of my job I have to conduct tours of the city for potential inward investors.We head out along Broad Street, through Five Ways and down to Norfolk Road where we turn left at the lights and though Edgbaston/Harborne to The Green Man PH.We then motor down Metchley Lane past the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital now the largest General Hospital in Europe.We then drive up Vincent Drive past the University Medical School,officially ranked in research as one of the top medical schools in the UK.We then head right at the small island onto Pritchatts Road to its junction with Edgbaston Park Road,past the King Edward's Schools, two of the top independent schools in the UK.Then we head back up the A38 Bristol Road to its junction with Priory Road and Elmhurst School for Dance, the Birmingham Royal Ballet's vocational dance school and one of the foremost ballet schools in the country and then left past Edgbaston, one of the world's foremost Test Match Cricket ground, due to undergo a facelift and where arguably the best Test Match ever was played between England and Australia in 2005, resulting in a 2 run England victory. If not the best Test Match, then certainly one of the closest!We then head up Edgbaston Road past the new Midlands Arts Centre and Cannon Hill Park, one of Birmingham's finest green spaces,in a city with more green spaces than any comparable city in Europe.Up Russell Road past the Brittanic Assurance buildings, one of Birmingham's oldest and most revered financial institutions, sadly no longer in business.Nearby in Highbury Hall and Park the home of Joseph Chamberlain, the founder of Municipalism and the architect of modern Birmingham.Driving through Kings Heath and then right at Vicarage Road past King Edward's Camp Hill Schools, two of the finest state Grammar schools in the country.Right down Cartland Road and into Stirchley and then across Pershore Road to Selly Park and past one of Birmingham's finest pubs , 'The Country Girl' in Raddlebarn Road, at the back of Selly Oak Hospital, the home of The Centre for Defence Medicine, where our injured troops from conflicts around the world are treated.At Raddlebarn Road, we turn left to Bournville Village Green and The Carillion opposite Cadbury World, one of Birmingham's best visitor attractions.Up the hill past the listed Bournville Sports Ground and turn right down Bournville Lane and through the Bournville Village Trust past the 'workers' playground ' of Rowheath and up to the A38 Bristol Road and Selly Oak. There we turn right past the BBC Drama Village where the TV 'Soap' 'Doctors' is filmed and the Selly Oak Colleges of the University of Birmingham.To the junction of Bristol Road and Oak Tree Lane and left past Sainsbury's and up to Quinton Lane at its junction with Harborne Park Road where the Birmingham Diocesan offices are near to another of Birmingham's marvellous green spaces Harborne Park with its Harborne Cricket and Hockey Club.Up though Princes Corner in Harborne and along Lordswood Road past the celebrated Moor Pool Estate and up to the old coaching inn at the reinvented 'King's Head' PH.Right at the traffic light junction along Hagley Road back past near where we started in leafy Edgbaston at Norfolk Road.We then drive past the Warwickshire Masonic Temple at The Clarendon Suites in Stirling Road, not far from Tolkien's 'Two Towers': Perrott's Folly and The Water Company Tower.Along the Hagley Road a while we pass The Oratory home of Cardinal John Henry Newman, Birmingham's most revered Roman Catholic churchman who founded The Oxford Movement and may become England's next Saint.Back along Hagley Road and through Five Ways again, to Broad Street and its 'Walk of Stars' and left at Paradise Circus following the A453 towards Newhall Hill and into Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, which has dominated jewellery manufacture in England for the last 250 years and still produces 40% of the UK's jewellery output.The

Jackie Knox
glad to hear the tour bus will be running on Saturdaysand I look forward to riding on it from Bournville

Sue Behan
Hi Margaret - yes, the history bus is great but we wanted a live guided bus tour running on a weekly basis to show off all of our great city to everyone.

Margaret Hurlston
Ithink I can remember open top busses going out as far as Cadbury. other suggestions would be Edgbaston reservoir, jewellery quater, the back to back houses in Hurst Street, St Phillips and St Martins.

Linda
A hop on hop off bus service is already operating between BMAG, Birminghams Community Museums, the Pen Room Museum and Aston Manor Transport Museum. There aretwo buses, one a vintage bus, running an hourly service. The tour is on the first sunday of every month starting in April. This is its 4th year. And its free!

Chris Cox
Great to see this coming back. Good luck with the relaunch Sue

Fiona Walker
Cannon Hill Park as it was the first Birmingham park and the land donated by Louisa Ryland.

mr r solanis
kings norton green and cadburys lots off history for old school now renovated

alan wallis
aston hall, back to backs, rotunda, st martins/bull ring, victoria square/museum, thinktank/imax/curzon street station, matthew bolton's house, cannon hill park, cadbury world.

wayne hopkins
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE TOWNHALL,BULL RING,MOOR STREETON THE BUS TOUR PLEASE.THANKS

Sandra Bagnall
Please include the Market Areas.

Jim, Aston Uni
they should definitely pass Aston University - it is an impressive, green campus and close to the Bullring anyway - 5 mins walk. The main building is also one of the largest brick buildings in the world. Students from all parts of the UK and over 100 couontries around the world are also studying there, along with Brummies too!B4 7ET - pass it on James Watt Queensway on the wat to the BullRing

john kelly
Obviously the main central area including Town Hall, Bull Ring,Chamberlain Square,council house, St Philips Cathedral, Broad street,NIA,Jewellery quarter, Sarehole Mill (Tolkien), Highbury House, Villa Park, Canal side, The Oratory on Hagley Road (Cardinal Newman - soon to be a saint) - just some suggestions, based on what I show people visiting for the first time.

Chris
If you could get a bus to all the community museums, that would be great! Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Soho House then finish the tour at BMAG in Victoria Square. All that history in one tour would be fantastic!

Emma Ismail
Definitely land marks for Tolkien/Lord of the Rings. Not too far out of the city, or this could be run as a special trip.

Mark
It's great to see the return of the buses!No tour of Brum would be complete though without a stop off at Cadbury's World and Bournville Green!

Dom.
This is a great idea! A great way for locals to even seen parts of Brum not normally visited and taken for granted. Why not include;Town Hall.MailBox.Cabury World and Bournville Village.Selfriges and Bull Ring.The Cathedral Buildings.Soho House.Blakesley Hall.Transport Museum.Jewellery Quarter.The many Museums around Brindley Place.St Pauls Square.

Ned
It would be good to see more tourists attracted to Brum. Especially after the 'make over'its had. Every other major city has tours, why not Birmingham?

Kevin Cummins
Why not have a just a Blue Badge tour ?

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