::Date: 30 May 2002
City Sightseeing acquires rival Guide Friday
City
Sightseeing the global operator of open top city tours has acquired its largest
rival Guide Friday in a multi-million pound deal. The deal will form the worlds
largest open top bus company following fierce competition between the two operators
over the past two years. City Sightseeing will now operate in nearly 70 cities
worldwide with nearly 250 vehicles in fleet. Whilst some of the Guide Friday operations
will be integrated into City Sightseeing's own services some will be sold on to
current City Sightseeing franchise operators both in the UK and Europe. The current
GF fleet will be replaced with newer vehicles in most destinations and it is envisaged
that whilst the Guide Friday name will remain in use the livery will be revised
or replaced by the colourful City Sightseeing livery. Peter Newman, Chairman of
City Sightseeing said 'I'm delighted with the acquisition of Guide Friday, it
complements many of our existing operations and allows us to further our comprehensive
list of destinations through a well known brand'.