About Us

City Sightseeing Bristol (trading as Rubicon Classic Enterprises) is owned by Warwick Hulme who after studying for a marketing degree at Bristol Polytechnic joined 'Bristol Omnibus Co Ltd.' in 1974. Once the company was privatised he joined 'Badgerline' in 1986, staying until 1993 when he left needing to start a venture of his own.

Established in 1994 as 'Bristol City Open Top Tours', Warwick ran the business single-handedly with a 1962 leased Bristol built bus. Even when he became a founding franchise member with City Sightseeing in 2000 he continued to manage the business on his own. The company was 13th out of City Sightseeing Worldwide's 14 founding members.

Initially the single bus ran between May-Sept, but now a fleet of 3 buses operate 11 months of the year. Warwick owns all 3 of its modern open top fleet, as well as a collection of classic buses and coaches. In 2012 the company will carry its 400,000th passenger.

Today, City Sightseeing Bristol is still a small company. Its 8 drivers are a mix of enthusiastic retired colleagues and newly trained drivers. The company prides itself on being one of the few operators who only offer live commentary - believing that passionate, local people far surpass what the recorded voice has to offer. The 38 part-time guides are a diverse collection of Blue Badge trained and company trained staff with an enthusiasm for the city and a desire to share it with visitors and locals alike.

Warwick's one-man band expanded in 2010; in-house staff training is now co-ordinated by the company Guide Trainer Tony; and most guides have now been trained to NVQ standard - with the company constantly working to deliver a high quality commentary but with a mix of individual personality and entertainment too. Nicola joined in 2010 as Marketing and Sales Manager helping to carry the increasing work load. 'Bristol Open Top Bus Company' was born to shoulder the expanding private hire market; offering classic and modern vehicles for Weddings, school trips, work dos, conferences and much more.

2011 saw the company's timetabled service being shortlisted for 'Tourist Activity of the Year' at Bristol's Tourism and Hospitality Awards, and then also receiving a glowing VAQAS assessment stating:

' City Sightseeing, Bristol provides a very good tour of the city and its boundaries which combines to deliver a memorable visitor experience.....The Guides on the buses were the highlight of the tours, their knowledge and enthusiasm for the City was infectious, the combination of amusing anecdotes and easily digested historical facts made for a most enjoyable visit.'