Big Bus Tours join the anti-idling charge

London’s biggest sightseeing company joins the battle against air pollution on the streets of Westminster.

Big Bus Tours, London’s largest operator of open-top bus sightseeing tours, joins forces with Westminster City Councils #DontBeIdle campaign to help tackle engine idling.

As millions of tourists arrive into London every week, many opt to climb aboard one of these iconic open-top tour buses to see Westminster’s famous and historic sites.

And while open top sightseeing is an effective way for large numbers of visitors to travel together to see the sights of the capital, with 940,000 km of sightseeing journeys travelled last year, the impact on the local environment is important to consider. As such, Big Bus Tours is working with the council to educate drivers about the harmful effects of unnecessary engine idling during tours.

Cllr Karen Scarborough, Lead Member for Air Quality said:

 “Big Bus Tours transport countless visitors around our famous city day after day, year after year, so having them on board our campaign is a huge boost in our efforts to halt vehicle pollution and improve air quality.”

“Encouraging drivers to stop engine idling is a key way that we’re cleaning up the air on Westminster’s streets, and working together, we can help to rid the city of this harmful and unnecessary pollution.”  

Adrian Carter, General Manager for Big Bus Tours in London said:

“As a company, we constantly review our environmental impact and take steps wherever possible to reduce this. Westminster Council’s #DontBeIdle campaign connects with a key performance metric for us which is to reduce unnecessary idling on a daily and weekly basis and we’re delighted to play our part in this vital initiative.”

Westminster suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the country. With 9.9 million drivers in the capital and 370,000,000 miles driven in Westminster each year, road transport contributes to more than half of the city’s most deadly emissions.

The Don’tBeIdle campaign allows the council to link up with local vehicle-based companies, educating drivers of public vehicles about the harmful effects of unnecessary engine idling, and raising wider awareness across London.