Welcome return for tour bus

I WAS delighted to hear the Discover Dundee tour bus is returning for its third year.

The open-top bus has been a brilliant addition to the city over the past two years, but now I believe we need to expand on the offerings it gives to folk who have used the service.

It has been a successful initiative by Xplore Dundee, who launched it in 2022 to much acclaim.

I really enjoyed my trip on the bus during its inaugural year, and it was brilliant to see Dundee have its own open-top tour bus again.

One of the things I and so many others have called for in recent weeks is an extension to other parts of the city, Broughty Ferry being the most suggested by folk.

Xplore Dundee gave a statement saying an extension of the route to Broughty Ferry would not be viable, mainly as a result of economic factors and because it would lengthen the journeys which would result in other journeys being cut.

I don’t think Xplore Dundee should give up on the idea, as so many people I speak to are behind bringing the tour bus to the Ferry.

When the announcement was made, there was a lot of people who were disappointed.

It doesn’t need to be every day, as you could have selected days it goes to the Ferry, like the weekends for instance.

An extension to Broughty Ferry would be ideal and it would be a brilliant opportunity for local businesses too.

SaltDog Marine, run by Ian Ashton, recently announced it would be launching new boat trips between Broughty Ferry and Tayport, which was met with much excitement.

This is something I look forward to seeing and it will give a sense of nostalgia for those who used to travel on the Fifie before the opening of the Tay Road Bridge in the 1960s.

People could go on the tour bus and stop at the Ferry, get on a boat tour to Tayport, stop there for a couple of hours and then head back on the tour bus – it makes perfect sense.

People would definitely be up for that and it could provide an economic boost for Dundee.

I hope we can get Xplore Dundee to change its decision, because folk would definitely pay money for it. I would, for one.

I look forward to seeing the bus back up and running on March 29 and I will definitely be going on board to see the city I am so proud to call home.

ON ITS WAY: The Xplore Dundee tour bus is on the road to Dundee again – but not Broughty Ferry.