With the peak tourist season just around the corner, the City of Philadelphia has begun to follow through on warnings issued last summer in the direction of unlicensed tour buses. It is estimated that between 15 and 25 illegally operated bus touring "companies" function on a daily basis from April through November.
Tourism--Philadelphia's staple is the the history kind--draws over 30 million visitors per year and generates nearly $25 million in economic impact for the metro area each day. Almost 90,000 jobs are indirectly or directly linked to tourism in the region.
Sites like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall fall at the top of the list for these visitors and most would like to be shown the landmarks by a local tour guide, and even more, sit back and relax and take in the view by bus.
"I come to a new city and I just want to be shown the sites from a bus. You know, from afar," said Kyle Vernon, visiting from Atlanta, Ga. "I just want to kick back. You know what I mean?"
The Bureau of Tourism (BOT) realizes the popularity of tour buses and wants to assure patrons that the City's bus fleet is the safest that it can possibly be. This is why lawmakers stepped up a few decades ago.
The City requires that all bus sightseeing companies be registered with the BOT. This law, often called the Bus Franklin Law, was passed in 1976, when record numbers of tourists flooded Old City for the Bicentennial.
"During the spring of 1976, everyone and their mother attempted to claim some of the tourist money pouring into the city," said Valerie Stewart, a BOT official. "Old station wagons, pickup trucks, campers, large skateboards and you name it and they were giving tours of the city. In late May of '76 we passed the law and grabbed control of the situation."
The law was successful and virtually eliminated all underground touring, but as the City's popularity as a destination spot began to rise over the past several years, these unmarked buses have reemerged.
Licensed bus operators have been pushing the City for the last year to address the situation and enforce the 1976 law.
"We pay a large annual fee for the right to do business in Philadelphia," said Brian McMullen, a manager with Big Bus Tour Company. "It's not right that these renegade tour companies are avoiding fees and compromising the safety of tourists."
Some illegal buses have actually been altered, in an attempt to fool law enforcement, and are a hybrid of two or more vehicles. Several buses have been spotted with a passenger car attached to the front, and, as dangerous as it sounds, some have even attempted to venture into the water.
"Last September, I took a bus load of people into the water," explained Captain Terry, a Ride-the-Ducks tour guide and amphibious vehicle operator, "and I look to my left and there was an old school bus in the river, loaded with tourists, using plastic barrels to float. Is this safe?"
Many of the illegal bus operators deny any wrongdoing.
"I don't operate a tour bus," claimed Harry O'Brien, standing in front of his Fishtown row home. "Yes, I drive a bus around the city. Yes, I pick tourists up on the street. Yes, I charge them a fee. And, yes, I give them my thoughts on the city for one hour over an on-board intercom system. If that's a tour bus than arrest me."
No comments:
Post a Comment