Edinburgh's bus wars latest: new open-top tour fleet unveiled

First has refurbished 14 buses to operate the tours

The new hop on hop off service will operate under the "Bright Bus Tours" brand, with prices undercutting those for the similar Edinburgh Bus Tours service run by council-owned Lothian Buses.

First hailed the venture as "an exciting new chapter for the Edinburgh tours market". Buses will leave every ten minutes from Waverley Bridge, follwoing a route which takes in the Castle, Dynamic Earth, the Scottish Parliament, the National Museum of Scotland and Greyfriars Bobby.

A 24-hour ticket will cost £10 for adults, £6 for children (5-15 years old) and £9 for concessions, with family tickets available at £29 and under-fives going free. Lothian Buses charge £16 for adults, £8 for children, £15 for seniors and £39 for a family ticket.

The new service is the latest stage of the city's bus wars.

First said 14 refurbished open-top vehicles would operate the new service, based at the First West Lothian depot in Livingston, and the company has a new operations office on Princes Street for the frontline staff.

Monday's launch follows a teaser campaign by First which is seen as part of the latest bus wars between the two companies, an echo of the battle which raged between them for 18 months around 2001.

Last summer Lothian Buses launched new Lothiancountry routes in West Lothian, traditionally First Bus territory. In March, Mr Jarvis retaliated by announcing plans for new services into Edinburgh. And last month Lothian announced new express coach routes from West Lothian to the Capital.

Andrew Jarvis, managing director for Bright Bus Tours, said: “It is an unbelievably exciting time for everyone at First as we launch this new venture. It has been a huge challenge for everyone involved, but our proposition is one that will stand out from the crowd and have an immediate impact in the market. This is something we see as part of a larger plan moving forward for the business and further investment is likely as the product develops.

The First service is undercutting Lothian's on price

“We have identified a gap in the market, to meet the demand of the ever-increasing tourism numbers to the capital and we look forward to bringing something different to the market. The city of Edinburgh has been so welcoming with new jobs created and many new partnerships struck. All of the staff are in place and training is now complete, so we look forward to getting underway now on July 1.”